Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve suicide prevention support in Cheshire and Merseyside.

Every death by suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and lasting impact on families, friends, and communities. We are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, which aims to reduce suicide rates and address the risk factors contributing to suicide, as well as improving support for those who have self-harmed or are bereaved by suicide.

To strengthen access to suicide prevention support, anyone in England experiencing a mental health crisis can now to speak to a trained National Health Service professional at any time of the day through the mental health option on NHS 111. Work is also underway to ensure crisis support is available via text, to widen access for people who may find voice calls difficult.

We are also making £473 million of capital funding available over the next four years, which we encourage systems to invest in new care models such as community-based mental health centres and new mental health emergency departments, also known as crisis assessment centres.

In Cheshire and Merseyside, partners are taking forward a range of suicide prevention activity, supported by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and the Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Collaborative. This includes work to strengthen crisis care services, improve access to mental health support in local communities, and develop coordinated prevention plans informed by local data and partnerships. In addition, the Local Government Association is undertaking a rapid review of suicide prevention arrangements across the sub-region to identify priorities for action, share good practice, and support a strengthened system-wide approach to preventing suicide.