About the Suicide Prevention programme
“We need to talk about suicide: helping everyone to feel more confident to talk about suicide” is an elearning programme that has been developed for the wider public health workforce including voluntary sector, emergency services, prison staff and prison listeners and all staff in health and social care.
Almost everyone thinking about suicide doesn’t want to stop living – they just want to stop the pain and distress they are feeling. Talking about suicide does not make someone more likely to take their own lives. Another person showing compassion and care can only make things better, not worse.
The purpose of this programme is to support the ambition of reducing the stigma associated with suicide, to help everyone see that simply asking someone how they are and talking about suicide can really help. The programme supports learning and development in suicide competence at Level One.
The programme is based on four storylines of people who are at increased risk of dying by suicide. During these four video scenarios, the learner will have the opportunity to reflect on their own learning. The learner will be able to complete the entire programme at once, which takes approximately between 60 and 90 minutes, or complete at their own pace in smaller sections.
Additional information
The learning is specifically aimed at making sure that everyone in contact with the public, in whatever role, knows how to spot any signs of mental distress and feel comfortable in talking about suicide.
Talking about suicide can be used as a normal part of all our interactions at home, in the workplace and in the wider community.
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How might the programme be used?
How might the programme be used?
- As an introduction to suicide awareness and suicide prevention skills
- To consolidate existing skills on suicide prevention
- As part of an organisation’s induction process, reflecting a commitment to reducing death by suicide
- For personal and professional development
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Target audience
Target audience
- Non-mental health practitioners
- Anyone working with the public across a wide range of settings
- Anyone in a volunteering role with contact with the public
- Administrative and support staff in health and care across a range of settings such as primary care, acute and supported living settings
- Administrative and support staff in other public-sector settings such as local authorities and the voluntary sector
- Public health/health promotion staff across all sectors including local authorities, NHS and primary care
Meet the team
We are grateful to the following organisations whose members provided subject expertise and contributed towards the written and video content.
The project team would like to thank everyone who agreed to be interviewed or took part in discussion groups during research for this course. All content researched, co-ordinated and produced by Hyperfine Media.
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NHS Trusts
NHS Trusts
- Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust – Health & Wellbeing College
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Voluntary sector support
Voluntary sector support
- Samaritans
- State of Mind
- Mental Health Independent Support Team (MhIST)
- Mind in Salford
- Self Help Services
- The Anthony Seddon Fund
- Listening Ear/ Amparo
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Emergency services
Emergency services
- Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service/ Greater Manchester Combined Authority Greater Manchester Police
- Merseyside Police
- Cheshire Police
- Northwest Ambulance Service NHS Trust
- HM Prison Service
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Local authorities
Local authorities
- Lancashire County Council
- Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (Public Health Team)
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
- Wirral Council
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Universities
Universities
- University of Salford
- University of Manchester
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Individual input
Individual input
We would also like to acknowledge the individual input of:
- Affy Akbar
- Joe Pardoe
- Rebecca Worthington
How to access
Available to all
The Suicide Prevention programme is available to access using the Open access session. If you access the content using this link, you will not have to log in but your activity will not be tracked and you will not be able to generate a record of completion.
If you do require evidence of your activity, you will need to register for an account if you do not have one. You can register by selecting the Register button below.
If you already have an account with elfh, then you can enrol on to the Suicide Prevention programme by logging in to the elfh Hub, selecting My Account > Enrolment and selecting the programme. You can then access the programme immediately in the My elearning section.