The government has pledged to reduce the number of suicides in England in two and a half years as part of its new national suicide prevention strategy.1
The five year strategy, which also aims to improve support for people who have self-harmed and those bereaved by suicide, comes after provisional data indicated there were 5275 registered deaths by suicide in 2022—a rate of 10.6 per 100 000 people. The government said while the current rate “is not significantly higher than in 2012, it is not falling.”
“Suicide is everyone’s business and everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention,” said Maria Caulfield, minister for mental health and women’s health. “We must support each other to ensure that no one feels like their only option is to take their own life.”
Key actions outlined in …