Welcoming change and commitment to suicide prevention with a new government

Working together for meaningful change

The change in government comes not long after the launch of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2023 – 2028 which contained several key points:  

– Involvement of people with lived experience: The strategy emphasised the significance of including the voices, perspectives, and insights of those with lived experience in all suicide prevention efforts.  

– Inclusivity in suicide prevention efforts: The strategy stressed the importance of addressing the needs of marginalised communities and people who have not previously been included in suicide prevention efforts.  

– Comprehensive and joined-up approach to suicide prevention: The strategy acknowledged that suicide prevention is everyone’s business, advocating for targeted actions on risk factors and priority groups.  

As an alliance, we discussed what is necessary to achieve the goals set out in the strategy and how we can build on our previous efforts to bring about meaningful change. This included input from the wide-ranging expertise of our cross-sector membership, including local authorities, the VCSE sector, healthcare services, research, and other stakeholders working to reduce suicide. 

Keeping suicide prevention at the forefront

Our discussions remain important as we move forward with the new government and work to keep suicide prevention high on the political agenda. We look forward to working with Baroness Merron, the new Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health, and Mental Health, who has responsibility for suicide and crisis prevention, to achieve our shared vision that fewer lives are lost to suicide.   

There is still more for us to do. At the NSPA, we continue to advocate for greater ambition towards long-term reduction in suicide rates and hope that this is reflected as we enter this new political chapter. This includes establishing clear measures to monitor progress, developing a definitive roadmap for effective implementation, and securing the necessary resources to support these efforts. We are also committed to ensuring lived experience is meaningfully embedded in practice nationwide.  

We encourage all members to continue sharing their thoughts and views on how we can build on what we have collectively achieved and ensure that suicide prevention remains everyone’s business.