Issue - meetings

In 2020 both BCP Council and Dorset Council, Partners, Public Health Dorset and the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group established a multi-agency Pan Dorset suicide prevention programme (SP) as part of the national SP programme.

This report provides an update on the six key workstreams within the pan-Dorset programme and also progress on BCP Council’s own Suicide prevention plan, one year since publication.

Overall, there has been significant progress in promoting suicide prevention and wider mental wellbeing agendas through communications, training and support services.

Some areas of work have been hampered by the pandemic and other factors. A new national strategy is anticipated later this year and plans locally will need to be reviewed in light of these through the Suicide Prevention Steering Group and Council’s Corporate Management Board.

The Director of Adult Social Care Commissioning (Interim), Principal Programme Lead, NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group, Assistant Director of Public Health presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.  The Committee was also provided with a PowerPoint presentation.

In 2020 both BCP Council and Dorset Council, Partners, Public Health Dorset, and the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group established a multi-agency Pan Dorset suicide prevention programme (SP) as part of the national SP programme.

The report provided an update on the six key workstreams within the pan-Dorset programme and progressed BCP Council’s own Suicide prevention plan, one year since publication.

Overall, there had been significant progress in promoting suicide prevention and wider mental wellbeing agendas through communications, training, and support services.

Some areas of work had been hampered by the pandemic and other factors. A new national strategy was anticipated later this year and plans locally would need to be reviewed considering these through the Suicide Prevention Steering Group and Council’s Corporate Management Board.

The Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Active Health advised that he received a briefing and had been involved with the programme for a while and wanted to highlight his support for the Suicide Prevention programme.  He highlighted the complexities of what was involved and how pleased that talking about suicide prevention was becoming more open with frank discussions really welcomed.

The Committee discussed the report and presentation and comments were made, including:

• In response to a query, warm transfer was explained as being connected on the phone straight to an appropriate organisation/service
• The Vice Chair thanked everyone involved and agreed that this had been a stigmatised topic for too long
• In response to a query regarding the real time surveillance data the Committee was advised of the issues surrounding collecting it, however, were informed some insights had been made from 18 months of good data. This could be shared with the Committee at some point, however the sharing of such sensitive information needed to be approached with caution. 
• In response to when the data could be shared, the Committee was advised that there was some data available until November last year which could be shared if helpful. ACTION.

·       The Chairman of the Council provided a very detailed contribution to Committee on his own personal experiences with losing a loved-one to suicide. His statement included many references to the services that were on offer to the individual in question whilst outlining the benefits, challenges, difficulties, and failings of many of these services. The Committee heard that the Chairman was in full support of report and noted Workstream 6 2.12, as referenced in the report, and hoped that this would be achieved quickly. The Chairman also referred to the High Sheriff’s Project “Harmony in Dorset”, being worked upon by Bournemouth University, of which he hoped to be increasingly involved with as Chairman of BCP Council.

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