Guaranteed help at A&E to prevent avoidable deaths from suicide

When you feel suicidal in the UK, doctors tell you to go to A&E. What you will find there is based on luck: will you find compassion? Or will you be judged and turned away? A majority of the time, the latter. Asking for help can be a turning point for individuals in crisis.

There should be a nation-wide, guaranteed response to individuals seeking help for suicidal thoughts and feelings in our hospitals.

The following procedure should be guaranteed as a standard response:

1. The contemplation of suicide or signs of severe mental distress is classified as a medical emergency. 2. The individual is processed on-site immediately. 3. The individual is taken to a “Calm Room”. 4. ‘Suicide Guarantee’ trained staff member speaks with the individual with attentive compassion. 5. A specialist professional involves the individual in creating a written plan to assure their immediate safety and ongoing treatment and/or support.

Mental health and suicide prevention is a top priority for this government, which is why, in October 2018, the Prime Minister announced the first Suicide Prevention Minister in the UK who is working across national and local government and delivery agencies, including the NHS, to ensure we are doing all we can to reduce suicides.

In January 2019, NHS England published the NHS Long-Term Plan, which sets out a comprehensive expansion of mental health services, with an additional £2.3bn in real terms by 2023/24.

We are investing £249 million to roll-out liaison mental health teams in every acute hospital by 2020 to ensure that people who present at hospital with mental health needs get the appropriate care and treatment they need. Under the Long-term Plan, by 2023/24, 70% of these liaison services will meet the ‘core 24’ service standard, working towards 100% coverage thereafter. NHS England continues to work to ensure that every person who presents at an emergency department for self-harm receives a psychosocial assessment and is directed to appropriate support.

The NHS Long-Term Plan also commits to establishing a national 24/7 single point of contact for anyone experiencing mental health crisis through the NHS 111 service, meaning that people in crisis will be able to access a trained mental health professional when they need it.

NHS England has also committed to increasing alternative forms of provision for those in crisis, for example sanctuaries, safe havens and crisis cafes, which can provide a more suitable alternative to A&E for many people. The NHS will work with the voluntary sector and local authorities on these alternatives and ensuring they meet the needs of patients, carers and families.