Council to discuss ways to reduce male suicide

North Northamptonshire Council will discuss ways to reduce the number of suicides after figures showed rates in the area were above the national average.

Health and wellbeing board councillors will meet on Tuesday and look into prevention strategies for men aged 45 to 64, following an audit that showed this group had "higher risk factors" than others.

Some of the plans included training customer service staff on "compassionate conversations" and developing a Suicide Prevention Strategy and action plan.

A retrospective suicide audit by the authority showed that in 2023, hospital admissions as a result of self-harm were 131.8 per 100,000 population - higher than the national average of 126.3.

Research from the Coroners' Suicide Audit found that half of those who died by suicide had a history of self-harm and/or previous suicide attempts, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It found people living with Severe Mental Illness (SMI), including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression, face one of the greatest health inequality gaps in England, with life expectancy 15 to 20 years shorter than the general population.

Council documents showed an estimated 50% of deaths in people living with SMI were attributable to smoking and highlighted the need to reduce smoking and investigate ways to improve physical health.

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