Introduce a Suicide Prevention Act to seek to minimise suicides

We want the Government to legislate to:

- Create a National Suicide Prevention Office - Require suicide prevention plans, frameworks and training for public and private organisations - Support statutory local suicide prevention partnerships - Enable sharing of data on suicide deaths/attempts

- Require suicide prevention impact assessments for new legislation and policies - Require lived experience input in developing suicide prevention plans and policies - Establish dedicated crisis support and community support hubs - Create provisions to tackle loneliness and social isolation - Require the teaching of suicide prevention in schools - Amend building regulations to 'design out' suicide risks - Establish dedicated trauma and loss counselling - Require RIDDOR reporting for suspected suicides and psychological injuries at work

Every death by suicide is a tragedy, the effects of which impact on the lives of loved ones, families and communities. It is imperative that we do all we can to prevent suicides and save lives which is why, in September 2023, we published a new cross-government and cross-sector suicide prevention strategy for England, setting out our aims for suicide and self-harm prevention to 2028. It is our view, that many of the actions suggested within this petition, will be delivered through the Strategy.

The Strategy set an ambition to reduce suicides within five years, and to improve support for people who self-harm and for people bereaved by suicide. The strategy is informed by data, evidence, and engagement with stakeholders, including people with lived experience and by the mental health call for evidence that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) ran in 2022. We are committed in the strategy to continuing to involve people with lived experience and will ensure they are at the heart of implementation and delivery.

The strategy brings forward over 130 actions with the aim of reducing the numbers of people who die by suicide. We recognise the factors that lead a person to take their own life can come from all parts of life, therefore people and organisations across society have a role to play. In recognition, actions in the strategy come from a number of Government departments and delivery partners, and cover a wide range of priority areas for action, including improving data and evidence, addressing social isolation and loneliness as a risk factor, and suicide bereavement. DHSC will work closely with other Government departments to monitor delivery and implement the actions in the strategy.