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Local authorities must have suicide prevention plans, says parliamentary report

BMJ 2013; 346 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f645 (Published 30 January 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;346:f645
  1. Ingrid Torjesen
  1. 1London

The government should require the public health teams of local authorities to develop and implement strategies to prevent suicide, a parliamentary report has recommended.

Currently local authorities are under no obligation to take action on suicide. More than a quarter (27%) of local authorities in England do not have a specific suicide prevention strategy, found an investigation by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention. Meanwhile the suicide rate in England is rising as a result of the economic downturn, the group said.

The group’s report, launched at parliament on 29 January, recommends that local authorities should be required by the government to develop a suicide prevention plan, led by the director of public health or a senior member of the public health team.1 The …

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