Network working to save lives
By Rebecca Poole
A new group is hoping to save lives by pooling knowledge and resources around suicide prevention.
In Lincolnshire approximately 90 people die by suicide every year with around 11,000 family, friends, and wider community touched by these deaths.
“Our new Suicide Prevention Network was formed very recently to bring together people across Lincolnshire with a shared interest in preventing suicide,” explained Dr Lucy Gavens, Consultant in Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council.
“We’re hoping to grow the network with people from a huge variety of backgrounds. The idea is to bring together those who might work with or be supporting people who are at risk of suicide to help share good practice, share information, and learn from each other to make sure we’re doing all that we can across the county to support people who are at risk of suicide.”
The Lincolnshire Suicide Prevention Network (LSPN) aims to learn different ways to prevent suicide while identifying and working with high-risk groups closely.
“We’re always learning about risk factors because they change and new ones emerge over time. We know, for example, mental ill health is a big risk factor, although two out of every five people who die by suicide in Lincolnshire don’t have a history of mental ill health.”
Lucy stressed that by increasing awareness and encouraging people to talk about suicide, other critical risk factors, such as relationship breakdown, being bereaved by suicide, or previous suicide attempts are identified and bespoke support can be delivered.
“In more recent times there has been a growing understanding of an increased risk of suicide in autistic people, for example,” added Lucy.
“Now one of the things we are doing through the network is working more closely with the Lincolnshire Autism Partnership Board to make sure we’re sharing what we know about suicide prevention and working with them to make sure the autistic community is aware of suicide risk and the support that’s available.”
The network is open to anybody who would like to get involved and offers bespoke support for those seeking help. National research shows people who have experienced bereavement through suicide are likely to kill themselves.
“It’s quite an important risk factor, so we’ve got our bespoke suicide bereavement support service which will work with individuals, with families, and will also, for example, go into workplaces if there’s been a bereavement in a workplace.”
The LSPN also funds community-based projects that provide activities for those at an increased risk of suicide, such as middle-aged men. Independent groups like Men’s Sheds and ANDYSMANCLUB work with the network to increase signposting opportunities across the different organisations.
“We know from research that asking direct questions about suicide can really help to protect someone’s life. There are myths in the past that asking about suicide gives someone the idea to do it, but research has dispelled that myth.”
If you are interested in becoming part of the network, email