Case studies

Working across nine councils and with Samaritans to improve media reporting through hosting a high profile suicide prevention event. Council collaborative comprised of the nine councils across Cheshire and Merseyside: Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Liverpool, Wirral, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington councils. This case study was done jointly with the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and forms part of our suicide prevention resource.

Camden has developed Minding the Gap, delivered by a partnership between the council, the CCG and the voluntary sector, to improve the mental health of young people aged 16-24.

The two London boroughs of Camden and Islington have used some of their suicide prevention funding to provide a dedicated psychotherapy service for young adults leaving care. Tailored support is delivered in community settings through a local voluntary sector partner, the Brandon Centre.

The Edge Café in Cambridge provides support to people recovering from substance misuse and those with mental health problems by running recovery groups and providing opportunities for volunteering.

Calderdale Council has set up a programme to tackle loneliness that is based in local communities – there are separate locality teams. Workers are employed to support local activities and groups and connect people referred into the programme with opportunities that suit them. One of the major strengths of the programme is that it is driven by local people who know their communities the best.

In Bournemouth, a cluster of suicides linked to the railways led to targeted action by public health, council, transport and community partners. The response included a strong focus on communications, helping to change how the local media reports on suicide and mental health.

The Psychosocial Engagement Team service was developed as a six-month pilot project, where referrals were made by A&E mental health liaison teams into a six to eight week programme focused on problem-solving and support. In six months, 100 referrals were made, with 85 per cent engagement. The pilot has been evaluated and embedded into the mental health pathway. This case study was done jointly with the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and forms part of our suicide prevention resource.