Item 4D Appendix 1
HERTFORDSHIRE PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS REPORT ON HERTFORDSHIRE SUICIDE AUDIT PROCESS AND PREVENTION STRATEGY
1.Hertfordshire Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are jointly responsible with Hertfordshire County Council for securing the provision of appropriate care for all those with mental ill health in Hertfordshire. This includes action to reduce the overall rate of death by suicide in the County. Best practice guidance, including the Mental Health National Service Framework (NSF) (1999) and the NHS plan (2000) is available to support local planning and service delivery. Measures by mental health services to achieve a reduced risk of suicide are also set out in the ‘National suicide prevention strategy for England’ and ‘Preventing suicide: A toolkit for mental health services’.
The White Paper Saving lives: Out Healthier Nation (1999) outlined a commitment by the government to a target to nationally reduce deaths from suicide and undetermined injury by at least one fifth by 2010. This is supported by Standard Seven of the NSF for Mental Health.
The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) publications ‘Suicide audit in Primary Care Trusts localities: A tool to support population based audit of suicides and open verdicts’ (2006) and ‘Suicide audit in Primary Care Trust localities: A whole systems approach’ (2006) set out a best practice methodology for carrying out suicide audits and collecting information from the audits to inform local, regional and national suicide prevention strategies.
- During 2007/08 an initial suicide audit took place of cases reported to the coroner and assessed by the coroner during 2007. A working group was formed and a report written summarising the findings from the 44 case studies. These key findings are listed below.
- The majority of suicides occurred in the over 40 age group, with the average age being 52 years old.
28% of cases occurred in those over 60 years and there were no deaths in the age group under 25
- Of those that occurred in county, the numbers were highest in Stevenage, Broxbourne and St Albans (17/44)
- A considerable number of people were unemployed or retired (8/35)
- A third of all cases had some form of chronic illness (12/36)
Much of the information required to complete the toolkit was not available but this should be collated for the 2008 report.
- Male mortality suicide rate from suicide was higher in males than femalesin the period shown in the graph Appendix A, which includes rates for Hertfordshire from 1993 to 2007.
4.During 2008, confidential and sensitive information relating to suicides will be collated by the Practice Governance team who also receive information on serious incidents and significant event audit to further inform this exercise.
5.Much is known already at a national level about suicide prevention and the national evidence combined with local information will be analysed to provide an action plan to continue to aim to reduce Hertfordshire’s suicide rates.
Suicide Audit Group, May 2008
Item 4D - Appendix 1 Suicide Audit.doc 1
Item 4D Appendix 1
Item 4D - Appendix 1 Suicide Audit.doc 1