News & Events
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New suicide prevention strategy aims to reduce Cheshire and Merseyside’s suicide rate
Public health leaders and multiple agencies working across the wider health and care system in Cheshire and Merseyside have welcomed the publication of a brand new five-year strategy that will aim to prevent as many suicides as possible and reduce the number of people impacted by suicides in the subregion.
At an event held on Tuesday 15th November in Warrington, over 100 people including Local Authority, NHS, voluntary partners, professionals and members of the Cheshire and Merseyside Lived Experience Network for Self-Harm and Suicide have welcomed the publication of the new Cheshire and Merseyside Suicide Prevention Strategy. ...
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New self-harm kits launched across Cheshire and Merseyside
Following a review of the recommendations from an evaluation study, carried out by Liverpool John Moores University, on a Self-harm safe kit pilot, the resource is now available to be used to support people who present with thoughts of self-harm or have experienced self-harming behaviour.
This supportive resource has been identified as being particularly useful for those working in educational settings and early intervention services. To download the resource, click here...
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Zero Suicide Alliance teams up with Help For Heroes to support ‘two million’ veterans across the UK
The Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) and Help for Heroes have teamed up to develop some much-needed suicide awareness training aimed at supporting veterans.
This life saving training which officially launched in September 2022 through the Help For Heroes campaign ‘Read Between the Lines’, will support an estimated two million veterans across the UK, many of which may have felt suicidal at some point in their life. Statistics found by YouGov revealed ‘1 in 3 veterans have felt suicidal in their lifetime’....
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Self-Harm Safe Kit pilot across Cheshire and Merseyside evaluated
A Self-Harm Safe Kit pilot which included the distribution of 450 kits to nine sites across Cheshire and Merseyside has been evaluated. The pilot commissioned by Champs Public Health Collaborative and Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership which ran from September 2021 to April 2022 was conducted to help professionals support people who presented with thoughts of self-harm or had experienced self-harming behaviour.
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Team of Life Children's Programme funded as part of the Cheshire & Merseyside Children and Young People's Transformation Programme
The Team of Life Children's Programme will aim to engage children with the language of sport not the language of problems.
As part of their work with schools and NHS Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, River Bank Psychology have developed a resilience programme for children aged 7-13 using sporting metaphors. The Team of Life is a strength-based approach that comes from a type of counselling called narrative therapy. Using the language of sport, the Team of Life invites people to identify key support people or ‘team-mates’ in their lives. This builds resilience by enabling them to build a sense of social support and connected identity.To find out more or to register click here...
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Cheshire and Merseyside Children and Young Persons Self-Harm Practice Guide published
North West Coast Clinical Networks and NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a Children and Young Persons Self-Harm Practice Guide for Cheshire and Merseyside. The document has been developed as a reference guide for all agencies and practitioners who meet children, young people, and their families. It is intended as a guide to supporting children and young people who have thoughts of, are about to or have self-harmed.
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NEW ZSA suicide awareness training for university students
Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) has launched Suicide Awareness Training to support the UK’s 2.4 million students to have potentially life-saving conversations.
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PAPYRUS, the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide has published its 2020-2021 Annual Review.
The charity which was founded in 1977 exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour.
The Annual Review can be accessed via https://www.papyrus-uk.org/about/annual-review-2020-2021/
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Launch of £4 million Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has made available £4 million for a grant fund to support suicide prevention VCSE organisations across 2021 to 2022. A portion of the grant fund will be ring-fenced specifically to help support small community-led and user-led groups and organisations.
The application portal for the grant fund will open on 2 December and will close on 6 January 2022. The grant fund is being administered by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of DHSC....
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New Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) resources developed
Do you work in mental health, suicide prevention or within government? Do you want to know more about suicide rates in your area and contributing factors in your community? Do you want to know what you can do to keep pushing for Zero Suicide?
A series of new ZSA evidence-based resources have been developed to help!
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New resource to support people who witness a suicide
SASP, Thrive LDN and Grassroots have produced First Hand a new booklet and website to help people make sense of the lasting memories and emotions following the suicide of someone they didn't know.
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Samaritans launch online safety campaign
Samaritans have launched an online safety campaign. The aim of the campaign, which has been co-developed with young people with lived experience of self-harm and suicidal feelings, is to equip young people with the skills they need to stay safe online when engaging with self-harm and suicide content.
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New mental health crisis café opened in Wirral
A new mental health crisis cafe has opened in Wirral for local residents. The space, called Compañeros, has been jointly developed between Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and local organisation, the Spider Project.
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Memorial evening to remember those who have lost their life to suicide
Listening Ear’s Amparo service has organised a Memorial Evening to remember those who have lost their life to suicide. This will take place on Thursday 9th September 2021 between 7pm and 8.30pm in Rainford, Merseyside and you are welcome to attend in person or to join via a webcast at the same time.
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Tackling Men’s Mental Health in Northwich
The Natural Health Service, managed by The Mersey Forest, is part of a pilot programme to prevent suicide amongst men in Cheshire and Merseyside. Their current wellbeing programme in Northwich has been running since May and makes the most of outdoor spaces and the natural environment to support residents.
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“Creating Hope Through Action” – Cheshire and Merseyside’s World Suicide Prevention Day webinar
On Friday 10th September, over 115 partners from across Cheshire and Merseyside came together for an annual World Suicide Prevention Day event hosted by Champs Public Health Collaborative.
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Participants wanted for Oxford Brookes University research study
Are you an adult (18 years or over) who lives in England and currently cares for an adult family member or friend you think may be, or has previously been, at risk of suicide?
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Suicide Bereavement UK’s 10th International Conference
Join Suicide Bereavement UK’s 10th International Conference on 23rd September 2021 at Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester. Suicide Bereavement: Thinking Out of the Box!
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New mental health text service launched following success of Cheshire and Merseyside’s 24/7 mental health crisis lines
Since the start of the pandemic, Trusts across Cheshire and Merseyside were at the forefront in recognising that restrictions would have an adverse effect on people’s mental health. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve access to mental health support, Trusts set-up 24/7 mental health crisis lines. These lines are there to ensure that people get the right level of support, at the right time, for their specific needs.
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Update from Wirral Mind on the Cheshire and Merseyside Lived Experience Network
I am excited to share with you an update of the Cheshire and Merseyside Lived Experience Network (LEN) for Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention. The LEN was launched on Monday 15th February and to date we have had a fantastic response across the region.
Since launch, we have recruited 33 members with lived experience, all of whom are incredibly passionate about using their experiences to help others, make a difference and shape services going forward....
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Tackling Men's Mental Health in Sefton
As part of funding awarded to Cheshire and Merseyside to prevent suicide, each local authority area was given money to address men's mental health and tackle the associated stigma. Here, Veterans in Sefton, one of the organisations to receive funding talks about the programmes they have implemented and the benefits they have seen as a consequence....
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NCISH publish 2021 annual report and suicide by middle-aged men report
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) have produced two new reports. The 2021 annual report provides findings relating to people who died by suicide between 2008 and 2018 across all UK countries. Additional findings are presented on the number of people under mental health care who have been convicted of homicide, and those in the general population. The report, along with an executive summary, infographics and an animated video of the key recommendations can be found here...
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NCISH Paper on prevalence of suicide during Covid-19 in England is published in The Lancet
A paper investigating Suicide in England in the COVID-19 pandemic which looks at early observational data from real time surveillance, has been published in The Lancet medical journal.
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NCISH Suicide Prevention COVID-19 support update - 20th April
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) send regular updates on COVID-19 Support. See below some useful new publications sent on 20th April 2021:
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NCISH produce infographic showing impact of MoveMENt project in Warrington
An infographic has been produced by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) to show the impact of MoveMENt, an innovative men’s suicide prevention project for Warrington.
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NCISH Suicide Prevention COVID-19 Support Update
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) send regular updates on COVID-19 Support. See below some useful new publications sent on 11th March 2021:
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Zero Suicide Alliance - March newsletter
The latest newsletter from the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) is available to read now. Click here to view.
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Halton Council release Time to Change Halton Campaign Evaluation
Time to Change Halton is a local hub, set up in partnership by Halton Borough Council, Mind Halton and many other local organisations with funding provided by the national Time to Change campaign.
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Suicide Bereavement UK launch 'On the Go' online suicide bereavement training
Suicide Bereavement UK (SBUK) have launched ‘ON THE GO’ online suicide bereavement training modules.
The brief ‘ON THE GO’ online live modules have been designed to complement Suicide Bereavement UK’s face to face training (Postvention Assisting those Bereaved by Suicide (PABBS) and Emergency Services Postvention Response training, ESPR).
SBUK are regarded as leaders in the field of suicide bereavement (training and research), with an unrivalled training portfolio, giving assurance that organisations/individuals will be training with an expert team...
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Lived Experience Network meets for first online 'Huddle'
The Cheshire and Merseyside Lived Experience Network (LEN) for self-harm and suicide prevention met for their first huddle this week. Paul, a Lived Experience Network champion hosted the first online huddle yesterday.
The huddle is an informal and safe space for LEN members to get to know each other, seek support and discuss the progress of the network....
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Tackling men's mental health in Warrington
Warrington is tackling stigma and building momentum in the town to help men talk about mental health and connect with others through local men’s projects.
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Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Lived Experience Network launches in C&M
A new initiative has launched in Cheshire & Merseyside which aims to give local people with experience of self-harm and/or suicide the opportunity to share their views and contribute to ongoing suicide prevention work in the region.
The Lived Experience Network (LEN) offers an opportunity for those people who have been through these difficulties to voice their opinions and express their views from their personal experience. Whether you have had thoughts of suicide or have made attempts, had thoughts of harming yourself, if you have been bereaved by suicide, or have been affected in any other way – your experiences are important....
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Suicide prevention charity applauds courageous kids
Minister Says Early Intervention Is Vital Children are showing remarkable courage and resilience under lockdown, according to a national suicide prevention charity. New figures for 2020 show many under 18s who were struggling with thoughts of suicide found the strength to contact the confidential helpline run by PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide.
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Residents in Cheshire & Merseyside are encouraged to keep talking about their mental health during national lockdown
People in Cheshire & Merseyside are being encouraged to talk to friends, family and those they trust about their mental health as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The pandemic has affected everyone, but it is thought that some groups such as young people, people who have been furloughed and key workers, as well as those who are vulnerable and isolated, may be particularly struggling with poor mental health....
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NSPA Conference 2021: Suicide prevention in a changing world
Thursday, 28th January 2021 10am - 4pm
The conference will be held online.
The NSPA annual conference brings together our network of individuals and organisations with a professional and personal interest in suicide prevention to share the latest knowledge and information, promote collaboration, encourage engagement with those with lived experience, and raise awareness of issues relating to suicide....
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Real Time Surveillance Workshop
Thursday, 25th February 2021 10am - 12pm
The event is by invitation only for Senior Leaders and Officers responsible for the operational implementation of the RTS system.
Cheshire & Merseyside Real Time Surveillance has run since September 2016 and was one of the first in the UK to be established. The purpose of the RTS is to provide alerts in rapid ‘real-time’ following a suspected suicide, thus enabling local leads and stakeholders to instigate preventative actions and support individuals, communities, and organisations....
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What Remains - A film about Suicide Bereavement + Gillian Brooks live Q & A (Online event)
Thursday, 18 February 2021 at 18:30 GMT
A short clip of the film can be seen here.
Suicide is the most common cause of death amongst men under 35. It is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK. And, although the focus on ‘prevention’ rightly remains high, we also need to develop more effective and caring ways to support those ‘left behind’ by suicide … the friends, the family members, the loved ones....
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Cheshire & Merseyside Stay Alive app campaign successfully increases number of app users
A campaign to encourage people to download the 'Stay Alive' suicide prevention app in Cheshire & Merseyside has proven to be successful in its endeavours to date. Figures to date show that there were 1957 new users of the app in Cheshire & Merseyside in the first 3 weeks of the campaign (October 26th - November 13th) compared to 107 new users in the 3 weeks prior....