1. No More Suicide in Bolton How Can you make a difference
No More Suicide in Bolton How Can you make a difference? Michelle loughlin, Assistant director of public health
May 2017

2. Today’s Discussion… Suicides in Bolton, what do we know?
What are we doing about it?
How do we make a difference?

3. Suicides in Bolton
What do we know?

4. Suicide as a local priority
Every Suicide represents a personal tragedy and a potentially preventable loss of life
In Bolton Suicide Prevention is a Priority for
Health & Wellbeing Board
Locality Plan – Population Health Programme
Safeguarding Children’s Board
Local Partners
Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention Programme
People’s familes, friends, partners, colleagues….

5. Data: Official Suicide Rate in Bolton
Recent peak ;
Now comparable to England – around 26 per year;
Fallen from 3rd highest to 58th highest suicide rate in the country - Improving.

6. Audit: Who? 75% are Men; BME- No specific pattern;
Widening Inequality - Twice as many suicides from most deprived communities!
MOST
DEPRIVED
LEAST
DEPRIVED

7. Audit: Suicides by Age Average Age is around 45 years;
Under 18s – a high priority for local Children's Safeguarding Board and the Suicide Prevention Partnership.

8. Who’s at Risk? Risk factors associated with local suicides
History of mental health problems (54%);
Self-harm (40%);
Living alone (39%);
History of violence (27%);
Unemployed (20%);
Alcohol misuse (22%);
Drugs misuse (14%).

9. Audit: The geography of Bolton’s Suicides
Areas of Deprivation
White British Communities
No evidence of ‘Hot Spots’
The influence of deprivation and the under-representation of Bolton’s BME groups, means the pattern geographically is focused on our most deprived areas that are also predominantly White British.

10. Audit: The Method of Bolton’s Suicides
Hanging/strangulation - just over half, varies by gender;
Overdose accounts for a fifth;
77% of suicides occur at home.
Male
Female
Historically, hanging/strangulation is generally associated with male suicides. In Bolton hanging/strangulation has accounted for 40% of female suicides, but over the last three years this has increased to around 80% with an associated reduction in female overdoses.

11. Audit: Primary Care contact
Approx. half of people made their last primary care contact <1 month before suicide

12. Audit: Secondary care contact
44% had some contact with secondary mental health services;
Evidence of previous self-harm and past suicide attempts is found in the hospital records of a significant number of people.

13. Audit: Trigger events
Most suicides are associated with being male and or deprivation;
‘Trigger events’ in an adults life immediately prior to suicide in Bolton cases included:
Break-up of a serious relationship;
Redundancy/recent unemployment;
Child taken into care;
Key points of interaction with secondary care mental health services – admitted onto caseload, discharge from services;
Bereavement;
Terminal diagnosis.
Children & Young People – eg Exams, bullying, abuse, family illness, bereavement, loss, isolation

14. Suicide in Bolton - What Are We Doing About It?
Analysis of data to identify local priorities
Establishment of a multi-agency suicide prevention group.
Development of a suicide prevention strategy/action plan;
ALL in progress in Bolton

15. Discussion: How Do We ALL Make a Difference?
Some Emerging themes for action:
Local Ambition – No More Suicide in Bolton!
Targeting our support
High Risk Men in deprived areas with risk – job loss, bereaved, previous attempts
Children and Young people ‘at risk’
Children and Young People’s Mental Health & Resilience
Training for front line staff – primary care, MH services
Communication, campaigns and pathways to support
Data and Info sharing