NHS mental health improvements ‘have helped reduce suicide rates’

Improvements in the standard of mental health care provision on the NHS may be having a direct and positive impact on reducing suicide rates.

This is according to a new University of Manchester study, which analysed the impact of 16 recommendations and service changes in all NHS mental health services across England on patient suicide rates between 1997 and 2012.

By 2012, 94 percent of services had implemented at least ten of the changes, while 55 percent had implemented all 16.

The five changes linked to the biggest falls in suicide included increasing the availability of specialist community services, better management of patients with dual diagnoses, conducting reviews with families after suicide, policies to help young people manage the transition to adult mental health services, and implementing new guidelines on depression.

Each of the 16 recommendations and service changes were linked with a 20 to 30 percent decrease in suicide rates, showing that these reforms have helped to save lives.

Professor Nav Kapur, lead author and head of suicide research at the Centre for Suicide Prevention at the University of Manchester, said: "These are important findings for mental health services worldwide, particularly in those countries where there is a focus on community care such as the US, Europe and Australasia."