By Caroline Harroe (Harmless CEO)
We welcome the publication of new NHS England guidance aimed at improving care for people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
The newly released ‘Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management’ sets out a more compassionate and person-centred approach to suicide prevention across the NHS, voluntary, and independent sectors.
Read the guidance: https://lnkd.in/etWcZvVM
The plans will help patients work with their families and practitioners to decide what support they need in place to keep them safe. The plans will stop the use of previous risk assessments which saw patients deemed high, medium, or low risk. These ratings usually fail to predict suicide.
The new approach:
- Applies to people of all ages, including people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
- Was developed with input from over 120 experts — including people with lived experience, front-line staff, and academics.
- Was developed with input from The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Nursing – Company, and The British Psychological Society.
- NSPA Lived Experience Influencer Philip Pirie co-chaired the writing group with Dr Adrian Whittington.
The guidance comes as the NHS and Government are set to announce the upcoming 10-year plan for health, with a significant focus on prevention and shifting care into the community.
