Agenda item

To consider a report of the Executive Director Core Services and the Director of Public Health (Item 4attached) in respect of Suicide Prevention in Barnsley.

The following witnesses were welcomed to the meeting:

Julia Burrows, Director of Public Health, BMBC

Phil Ainsworth, Health and Wellbeing Officer, Public Health, BMBC

Rebecca Clarke, Public Health Principal, BMBC

Clare Foster, Public Health Specialty Registrar, BMBC

Councillor Jim Andrews, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health

Michael Potter, Service Director, Business Improvement and Communications

The item was introduced by Julia Burrows, Director of Public Health, BMBC.  Suicide prevention is one of the indicators in the Public Health Outcomes Framework and falls under the strategic responsibility of the Director of Public Health.  The first national suicide prevention strategy was published in 2012.  Following this, Councils were given the responsibility for developing local suicide action plans through their work with Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs).  Barnsley has been working on developing our suicide prevention work through the development of our multi-agency suicide prevention group, audit and local action plan.  This work was presented to the Barnsley Health and Wellbeing Board in January 2017 and has been recognised as an exemplar of good practice by Public Health England.

The Barnsley suicide audit gives an insight into the characteristics of people who took their own lives in Barnsley between 2010 and 2015, the circumstances of their suicide and the services they had been in contact with.  It was highlighted that 85% of suicides in Barnsley between 2010 and 2015 were male.  There are a number of risk factors associated with suicide, including debt, social isolation, unemployment, inadequate housing, family and relationship problems and drug and alcohol abuse, which are being addressed within the action plan. 

Questions were asked in response to the report and introductory presentation, which included the following points:

·         Members were concerned about a perceived lack of availability and access to mental health services within  the wider community and particularly at weekends, which it was felt may contribute to the large number of suicides on Mondays.  It was felt that this is a key issue and should be raised at the Mental Health workshop on 12^th December;

·         Negative effects of diminishing resources are mitigated through effective multi-agency partnership working.  The suicide prevention group is multi-agency, meets every 6 weeks and is always well attended by partners;

·         One third of those who committed suicide had contact with primary care in the month before their death (mainly for a mental health condition), indicating a need to raise awareness and promote self help and national campaigns more widely.  A successful Suicide Prevention Day social media campaign #AlrightPal reached over 31,000 people with a view to reducing the stigma attached to mental health and suicide. Locally, work is underway with Barnsley Football Club to address the stigma issue.

·         Members were reassured that the needs of children and young people are taken care of.  Mindspace and Chilypep support and enhance the emotional wellbeing of children of secondary school age and TADS (based at the Core) provides tools and techniques to help them  manage mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and depression.  Primary school children are able to access the THRIVE programme   The availability of services in schools is currently being mapped to identify gaps and ensure all children can access help and support.

·         There is a need to improve veterans’ access to mental health support services, which will be achieved by creating more posts for therapists in NHS trusts.

·         Although 52% of people who took their own lives were known to have relationship problems, there is no mechanism in place to offer help and support to every resident who experiences a relationship breakdown However, work is underway with schools around healthy relationships and building resilience

·         Work with those bereaved by suicide is limited, although consultation with the Barnsley Mental Health Forum, a service user led group, did provide valuable feedback on the action plan.  Work is underway across the Yorkshire and Humberside region to scope the potential to commission regional services for those bereaved by suicide.  Members felt that more work should  be done with those who have been bereaved as a result of suicide to learn from their experiences.

RESOLVED that:

(i)            Representatives be thanked for their attendance and contribution.

(ii)          The report be noted and the points raised in the discussion be fed into the forthcoming Mental Health Workshop; and that

(iii)         Further information be provided to the Committee regarding:

·         waiting times to access Mental Health services in Barnsley (including both NHS and 3^rd sector);

·         the extent of service provision over the 6 week summer holidays (including how many children are accessing these);

·         a breakdown of where people who commit suicide originate from (when not born in Barnsley) and finally

·         how many therapists have been recruited by the NHS to work specifically with veterans.