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Responding to people bereaved, exposed, or affected by suicide

The Minister for Mental Health and Early Years, Sarah Murphy MS, has announced the publication of new guidance for agencies and organisations that feature in people’s bereavement journeys following a sudden or unexplained death, including possible suicide. In line with the guidance, the announcement also highlighted the launch of the National Advisory and Liaison Service which was been established to support people affected by suicide, as well as enhanced training and development opportunities for the public and people working in ‘touch-point’ agencies.

Research shows that people who have lost someone to suicide are at an increased risk of suicide or suicidal ideation themselves. An instrumental part of suicide prevention work is to develop support systems with and for people bereaved by suicide, as well as people who may be affected or exposed in other ways.

Recognising the value in this work, the NHS Wales Executive was commissioned by Welsh Government to undertake a project as part of the Suicide and Self-harm Prevention Programme to look at how Wales can better respond to those bereaved, exposed or affected by suicide.

A listening exercise was undertaken to hear from people in Wales with lived experience of bereavement by suicide. Participants discussed their bereavement journeys, the agencies they came into contact with, and the impact of their experiences.

Building upon the learning from the listening exercise, a multi-agency task and finish group was convened to develop national guidance on how Wales responds to those bereaved, exposed or affected by suicide. Following a public consultation exercise and feedback on the guidance, the national guidance ‘Responding to people bereaved, exposed, or affected by suicide’ was published to mark World Suicide Prevention Day on 10th September 2024.

The guidance which is designed primarily for service providers and ‘touch-point’ agencies who support people on their bereavement journeys, explains what a sustainably resourced, high-quality response would look like. It also explains how to deliver the response in a fair way so that everyone has equal access to support. The guidance has been created with the support of those who are most equipped to put it into action, setting out four key areas for action:

  • A national specialist advisory and liaison service linked to wider (Third Sector) provision
  • Enabling a compassionate response from ‘touch-point’ agencies that feature on the bereavement journey
  • The digitisation of ‘Help is at Hand Cymru’ and development of non-digital offers
  • Enhancing learning and development offers across sectors to raise awareness and develop skills

Ciara Rogers, National Director for Mental Health, NHS Wales Executive, said: “The national guidance on ‘Responding to people bereaved, exposed, or affected by suicide’ is an excellent example of system-wide co-production in the interest of providing better support for people. People’s lived experiences and the contributions of a variety of stakeholders as part of this work has not only supported the identification of four key areas for action, but created the apparatus across the system to further engage and deliver improvements in line with the Suicide and Self-harm Prevention Strategy for Wales and the wider review of bereavement services across Wales. I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to everybody that has been involved in establishing the national guidance and the subsequent improvement initiatives, whilst recognising the need for continued and robust improvement in line with evidence bases.”

 

Open-access support and resources

The newly established National Advisory and Liaison Service will respond to anyone exposed, affected, or bereaved by suicide in Wales, including unexplained deaths that could be a possible suicide. Commissioned via the Jac Lewis Foundation, it will ensure anyone in Wales who has been affected, can receive immediate sensitive and compassionate support, including regular contact from a dedicated liaison officer for as long as needed, as well as support to access wider services.

The new Help is at Hand Cymru website also provides improved access to advice for people who are affected by suicide or unexplained death. Additionally, there is a new Suicide Awareness E-module that provides guidance on how people can have a potentially life-saving conversation with someone.

 

Training and development opportunities designed for individuals in ‘touch-point’ agencies

A dedicated Suicide and Self-harm Prevention Cymru Training Hub has been designed to provide resources and development opportunities that can enhance awareness, understanding and skills.

An accredited training offering ‘Level 2 Award in Responding to People Affected by Suicide or Suspected Suicide’ has also been developed with AGORED Cymru. Any training provider qualified and equipped to deliver can deliver the units and a ‘Training the trainer’ programme has been piloted and is due to be finalised.