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<p>Providing better information and support to people bereaved by suicide is a key
area for action in the Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. Effective
suicide bereavement services should be provided through effective local partnerships
between local authorities, National Health Service organisations and voluntary and
charitable sector providers. Public Health England published a suite of guidance in
2017, in conjunction with the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and the Support
After Suicide Partnership, to local areas for developing and implementing compassionate
suicide bereavement services. The guidance is available at the following link:</p><p>
</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-after-a-suicide-a-guide-to-providing-local-services"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-after-a-suicide-a-guide-to-providing-local-services</a></p><p>
</p><p>Almost every local area has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place
to ensure that all local services are working together to deliver tailored approaches
to reducing suicides in their communities. Public Health England published updated
guidance in 2016 to local areas on developing these multi-agency partnerships and
plans and advised that local plans should reflect the key areas for action of the
national strategy, including providing effective bereavement support. The guidance
is available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-developing-a-local-action-plan"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suicide-prevention-developing-a-local-action-plan</a></p><p>
</p><p>The Department funds the Help is at Hand suicide bereavement support resource,
published by Public Health England, which provides compassionate information and signposting
to people who have been bereaved by suicide. Help is at Hand provides helpful advice
such as explaining the processes followed by authorities following a suicide, gives
testimonies by other people bereaved by suicide and provides a directory of other
organisations which can provide support. The guidance is available at the following
link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/you-are-not-alone-help-is-at-hand-for-anyone-bereaved-by-suicide"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/you-are-not-alone-help-is-at-hand-for-anyone-bereaved-by-suicide</a></p><p>
</p><p>We published Learning from Deaths guidance to the NHS in 2017, which was in
response to the Care Quality Commission’s review of how the NHS investigates and learns
from deaths. A key area of this document is how the NHS should engage and communicate
compassionately and respectfully with bereaved families when a patient dies. We have
made it clear within that guidance that we expect NHS organisations to provide bereavement
support services, or signpost bereaved families to services, to ensure they can access
effective support. The guidance is available at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a
href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-guidance-on-learning-from-deaths/"
target="_blank">https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-guidance-on-learning-from-deaths/</a></p>
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