Outlook South West

Our work in suicide prevention

The Suicide Liaison Service has been delivered since 2010 when it was initially commissioned by Cornwall’s Public Health as an outcome of the County’s Suicide Prevention Strategy (2009). The service aims to provide support, in line with NICE guidelines, to those bereaved and affected  by suicide.  The service has evolved and grown year-on-year and we have developed excellent working relationships with a number of key partners which includes collaborative work with Penhaligon’s Friends, a charity that supports bereaved children in Cornwall.  The Suicide Liaison Service Lead is an active working member of the County’s Multi Agency Suicide Prevention Group, and represents the Service as one of the partners with Public Health and other agencies within the County’s Suicide Surveillance Group working to reduce suicide in the County.

We accept self-referrals from individuals and families; referrals from Police, Coroner’s Officers, GPs and other Health & Social Care professionals. Telephone contact is made within 72 hours (frequently sooner, or on the same day).

The Suicide Liaison Service encompasses a range of components designed to support those bereaved by suicide. Face-to-face contact is offered as soon as possible following a death, either at the bereaved person’s home, a GP surgery, or another community location, where an informal assessment of needs is carried out. This initial meeting often includes liaison with and signposting to other helpful agencies. Emotional and practical support is provided throughout the process, including attendance at the inquest.

The service maintains regular liaison with the Police and Coroner’s office and monitors bereaved individuals for suicide risk and symptoms of trauma, making referrals for NICE-approved trauma therapies, such as EMDR or Trauma-Focused CBT, where necessary. Post-inquest referrals are made, when appropriate, to the IAPT service or other statutory or voluntary services, such as Cruse Bereavement Care.

Additionally, the service has developed an evidence-based, 8-week Grief Education Programme for those bereaved by suicide who are at least six months post-bereavement and, preferably, post-inquest, to facilitate coping strategies and wellbeing. The service also coordinates the annual Service of Reflection for People Affected by Suicide at Truro Cathedral, in collaboration with the Samaritans and other local agencies.

Our current priorities

Our primary role remains providing postvention, which includes appropriate and timely trauma-informed support to those bereaved following a death that may later be determined as suicide at an inquest. This support also extends to offering guidance through the legal processes of the inquest, Serious Incident investigations, and the Child Death Overview Panel. Additionally, we are collaborating with third-sector organisations, including the faith community, to promote postvention as a community-based resource. As part of this effort, we deliver training and workshops on the impact of suicide loss to various providers across the county.

Our current challenges

The impact of the pandemic has had a detrimental effect on everyone’s mental health. Cornwall’s relatively high levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased as the County has been heavily reliant on tourism and seasonal jobs.  Due to the County’s geography and poor public transport links, working to combat the isolation that many people bereaved by suicide experience, we feel that the current challenge is to embed postvention into existing community resources are accessible and that all those involved, whether volunteers or paid staff, are trained in suicide prevention and postvention.