Today, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) is pleased to announce that it will be joined by two highly regarded and influential organisations working in the field of suicide prevention and suicide bereavement support.
The National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) works to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide in the UK, while the Support After Suicide Partnership (SASP) focuses on ensuring that everyone bereaved or affected by suicide is offered timely and appropriate support. They operate as two distinct cross-sector alliances, collaborating with 425 and 138 member organisations respectively. The NSPA also works with a diverse network of over 500 people with lived experience of suicide.
The NSPA and SASP are moving from Samaritans to the National Collaboration Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH), which is part of RCPsych, after 13 and 5 years with the charity respectively. The move aims to support their continued development and expansion at a time when there are evolving needs in the suicide prevention and postvention landscape.
In 2023, there were 7,082 deaths by suicide in the UK. This includes 6,069 deaths in England and Wales, the highest rate since 1999, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland there were 792 and 221 probable suicide deaths respectively.1-3 Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under the age of 50.
For each of these very tragic deaths, friends, family members and communities are impacted as are clinicians and healthcare professionals. Adults bereaved by the sudden death of a friend or family member are 65% more likely to attempt suicide and 80% more likely to drop out of education or employment if the deceased died by suicide than if they died by natural causes.4
The NCCMH has been working in the field of suicide prevention for several years, including as a key partner of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health, and is well placed to assist and collaborate with both organisations. It also shares their commitment to champion the voices of people with lived experience which will continue to be a key priority.
Dr Lade Smith CBE, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, welcoming the organisations said:
“In England, around one in 13 adults reported having attempted suicide at some point in their life, and we know that people living with a common mental illness are five times more likely to attempt to take their own lives, and those with a severe mental illness like schizophrenia, ten times more likely. This is deeply concerning, and we must ensure adequate care and treatment is available. By applying a clinically led, evidence-based approach and working with people with lived experience, we can help improve the quality and accessibility of support for everyone affected by suicide. We look forward to bringing this approach and our clinical expertise to the NSPA and SASP to complement their work.”
Tom Ayers, Director of the NCCMH said:
“Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy that could have been prevented. There are effective ways to support people at risk of suicide, as well as those directly impacted by it, but rates are unacceptably high and more needs to be done to address this.
“The NSPA and SASP carry out life-saving work which directly aligns with our mission to secure the best outcomes for people with mental illness and share our commitment to promoting the voices of those with lived experience. We are proud to have them join us and together we will campaign to ensure compassionate, high-quality care and services are available for everyone who needs them.”
The NSPA brings together individuals and institutions from across the public, private and voluntary sectors, alongside people with lived experience to share good practice in the field of suicide prevention, facilitate the development of services and encourage collaboration.
The SASP equips services with the knowledge and resources they need to provide suicide bereavement support and works to ensure that this is available in every area of the UK. It also conducts research and creates new resources to support its members.
Ellen O’Donaghue, Co-Chair of the NSPA, said:
“The NSPA is at a pivotal moment in its journey, and we are delighted to be going forward with our new host, the NCCMH. We will be focusing on our mission to reduce suicide, while remaining connected to the sector, embedding voices and expertise of people with lived experience, facilitating collaboration and learning, and providing a stronger voice for change. In this vital new phase of the NSPA, we will drive forward an agenda that saves lives and strengthens suicide prevention, ensuring that the voices of those most affected by suicide continue to shape policy and practice at every level.”
Simon Blake, Chair of the SASP, said:
“This is a great step for SASP, which has so much rich learning to share, and they’ll undoubtedly benefit from the expertise within NCCMH.”
Julie Bentley, CEO of Samaritans, said:
“I am delighted that the NSPA and SASP have found a new home with NCCMH. We’ve been proud to host both alliances and look forward to continuing to support them as an active member of both as they start this next phase in their development.”