Raising Awareness of Suicide Prevention
Working in partnership with NHS England and Public Health leads across the system, UHDB Wellbeing was asked to create a Suicide Prevention Campaign for University Hospitals of Derby and Burton.
We would like to share this campaign with you, made possible thanks to funding from NHS England.
Please note: we are hoping to be in a position to offer bespoke versions of this campaign, tailored to suit our partner organisations across the system, at a later date.
UHDB Suicide Prevention Campaign
At UHDB, we believe that suicide prevention is everyone’s business – whatever your role.
We want to raise awareness about suicide prevention, to help reduce the stigma and highlight the support available for staff – helping you to look after yourselves and each other.
Did you know?
One in five of us will have suicidal thoughts within our lifetime.
However, the thoughts and feelings that drive suicide are often temporary. Most people who think about suicide don’t want to die – rather they’re at a place where ending their life by suicide seems like the only option left.
Research and evidence show that on a person’s journey to taking their own life, there are ALWAYS opportunities for intervention or for a change in direction. Suicide is NOT inevitable, and in most cases, it is preventable.
Risk Factors
Over 6,000 people die by suicide each year in the UK and around 100 of those are from the Derby and Derbyshire area.
Notably, around three quarters of people who take their own life locally are not known to mental health services, meaning people in everyday life who experience a series of pressures or incidents can be at risk.
Evidence confirms that there is no single factor that drives someone to take their own life, rather a multitude of factors that, over time, can lead to emotional distress and feelings of overwhelm, which can cause some people to have suicidal ideation.
Early Intervention is Key
Suicide prevention begins long before anyone reaches a point of crisis and early intervention is key.
We know that a multitude of factors can cause suicidal ideation. Influencing risk factors include stressors such as pressures at work, financial instability, housing problems, relationship issues, health concerns, lifestyle challenges and exposure to trauma/traumatic incidents.
Getting interventions in place BEFORE people get to the stage where they are having suicidal thoughts is an important step towards preventing suicide.
Early Intervention Support
UHDB provides a wealth of early intervention support for staff, helping to keep you healthy, safe and well. This includes:
Employee Assistance Programme [EAP]
The EAP provides a wealth of early intervention support and guidance for colleagues across UHDB; supporting with a range of personal and/or professional related problems that can affect overall wellbeing. This includes:
- Counselling – access a range of counselling services including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), trauma intervention and support for anxiety and depression.
- Financial Support – information, help and guidance for financial issues such as debt management, budgeting, mortgage advice, benefits and grants.
- Legal Information – support with legal matters such as divorce, wills and probate, motoring issues and personal injury, in addition to consumer, property, or neighbour disputes that can cause emotional distress.
- Bereavement Support – advice, guidance, and counselling for grief in bereavement, as well as legal support for grief related legal matters.
- Helpline – speak to a trained and experienced counsellor or access practical information, support and guidance by calling the free, confidential UK based helpline on 0800 028 0199 available 24/7/365.
In addition, the EAP also gives you exclusive access to its bespoke Wisdom App, helping you to track wellness, improve your mental and physical health and stay resilient during tough times.
Find out more about the EAP and the Wisdom App
Occupational Health
You can access a wide range of services designed to protect, maintain and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of Team UHDB through our Occupational Health Service.
The multi-disciplinary team includes a range of trained therapists and mental health nurses who can offer assessments and in-house short term counselling services.
Employees who are in need of help and advice may self-refer to an Occupational Health nurse. Self-referral consultations remain completely confidential.
Email: uhdb.occhealth@nhs.net Call: 01332 788 331
Wellbeing
The Joined Up Care Derbyshire [JUCD] Wellbeing team delivers a wealth of wellbeing services to support health and social care staff across Derby and Derbyshire.
Wellbeing Timetable – consisting of over 250 support sessions each month, the Wellbeing Timetable provides a range of FREE workshops, webinars, courses, clubs, activities, and dedicated colleague-support cafés.
Self-Care Pack – easily access a wealth of wellbeing resources and services, providing support for financial matters, mental and psychological wellbeing, lifestyle and family support.
Email: UHDB.GetHealthyStayHealthy@NHS.net Call: 01332 787703
Talk about Suicide
Alongside early intervention, it is important to open-up conversations about suicide.
Research tells us that it’s good to talk about suicide directly and by doing so, you will NOT make things worse.
At UHDB, we want you to feel able and comfortable talking about suicide so that if you needed to, you could have those lifesaving conversations.
To support you to talk to people about suicide, you can take the short online training by the Zero Suicide Alliance.
This FREE course is a fantastic resource. It is fully comprehensive and easy to do – just 20 minutes of your time could potentially help to save a life.
Keeping Safe
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, developing a safety plan (at a time when not highly emotionally distressed) can help to keep you safe.
The following resources provide guidance about making a safety plan, alongside easy-to-navigate tools and information to help those having thoughts of suicide or those concerned about someone who may be at risk.
Staying Safe Website – free online resources for anyone distressed, thinking about suicide or worried about someone they care about. Includes a comprehensive safety plan template.
Stay Alive App (by Grassroots) – download this pocket suicide prevention app for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help people stay safe in crisis. Includes an online safety plan. Search ‘Stay Alive’ on your phone’s app store.
UHDB Suicide Prevention Resource
To find out more about the services available for UHDB staff, including signposting information for additional support, you can download our UHDB Suicide Prevention Resource.
This vital resource outlines early intervention support, alongside information to help you access essential support during a crisis. This could be a valuable resource to keep in staff rooms for everyone to see.
You can also download a copy of the Suicide Prevention Poster, should you wish to print a copy to display in staff areas.
Suicide prevention is everyone’s business, and we all have a part to play.
Together we can make a difference and help save lives.
