Mark's Blog

I’m Sarah, and part of my role in the Hospital Discharge Team in Wolverhampton is to lead on suicide prevention in the city.

I'm bringing you the blog this week as this Tuesday (10 September) was World Suicide Prevention Day.

I feel very privileged to be involved in this work. It is something I have always been passionate about and is very close to my heart due to personal experiences, as well as supporting so many people either experiencing suicidal thoughts or family members who have lost loved ones.

It astonishes me to know that one person dies every 40 seconds from suicide, worldwide.

In 2018, there were 6,507 suicides registered in the UK, significantly higher than the previous year. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) estimates that each suicide impacts approximately 135 people, amounting to nearly 900,000 people affected in this country every year.

Tanya and Sarah (centre) were presented with a certificate for P3’s contribution to Suicide Prevention in Wolverhampton by Mayor Claire Darke.

“Joining together is critical to preventing suicide. Preventing suicide requires the efforts of many. It takes family, friends, co-workers, community members, educators, religious leaders, healthcare professionals, political officials and governments.”

My involvement in this issue started in 2016 when the Suicide Prevention Forum for Wolverhampton was being developed; this is a collaborative effort to raise awareness about suicide, its effects and how people and organisations in the community can work together to towards a zero suicide rate.

P3 have helped to develop the local authority’s strategy, gathering information on the people and groups most at risk within our services, and looking at areas within the city where they were not being adequately provided for.

The forum also includes agencies like Network Rail, who we’ve worked with to identify suicide ‘hotspots’ in train stations, and provide contact details and messages of hope from services like the Samaritans.

In 2018, Wolverhampton recorded 15 suicides, a 40 per cent reduction from the previous year.

Wolverhampton University are also heavily involved in the forum—they have set up training programmes for students on nursing/mental health-based courses, and raised awareness amongst staff and students about recognising the signs.

The university is also where you can see the ‘Support Life’ Wolf sculpture that P3 was involved in creating back in 2017, part of the ‘Wolves in Wolves’ art project.

If you are interested on training on this topic, Relias offer a free 20-minute online course:

Read on for more on some of the positive initiatives happening as a result of the forum ...