The voice behind this heartfelt campaign is a bereaved father who has experienced profound loss. Every day in England and Wales, 17 lives are tragically lost to suicide, a statistic that weighs heavily on families and communities. Alarmingly, of these 17, five individuals are already in contact with mental health services, and among those, four would have been assessed as being at low or even no risk of suicide during their last interactions with healthcare providers. This was the case for my son, Tom, who fell into this category in July 2020. His untimely death prompted me to advocate for a much-needed reform in how suicide risk is assessed within our mental health system.

The recent publication of groundbreaking guidance by NHS England, titled “Staying Safe from Suicide,” marks a pivotal moment in this ongoing battle. I was honored to co-chair the writing group for this guidance alongside Dr. Adrian Whittington from NHS England. The document outlines ten essential principles that mental health practitioners should implement to better support their patients. These principles are rooted in best practices and emphasize the importance of establishing a shared understanding regarding an individual's safety and the various factors that can influence it.

One of the most significant shifts advocated by this guidance is the move away from attempting to predict or categorize suicide risk into rigid classifications such as low, medium, or high. Instead, it champions a more personalized approach centered around each patient. This involves taking into account not just their mental health but also their physical condition and social circumstances, fostering a therapeutic environment built on understanding and trust.

Research has consistently shown that predicting suicide risk is fraught with challenges; suicidal thoughts can be fleeting, changing dramatically in mere moments. It is not uncommon for someone experiencing suicidal ideation to feel relatively stable one moment and overwhelmed by despair just moments later. As such, attempts to gauge risk have proven to be incorrect more than 95% of the time.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recognized this critical issue as early as 2011, advising against the use of risk assessment tools for predicting future suicides. This caution was reiterated in 2022, with recommendations to avoid global risk stratification for the same purpose. The urgency of this message was echoed once again in the government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy, released in 2023.

Reflecting on my own experience, my son had been seeing a trainee counselor in the private sector when he was grappling with severe anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Instead of receiving the immediate support he needed, he was not referred to a more experienced and qualified counselor, a gap in our mental health system that I am determined to address. I have advocated for the new guidance to apply universally to all mental health practitioners, including those in the private and charity sectors. Fortunately, the Professional Standards Authority, which oversees private practitioners, will now require that all members of associations adhere to these new NHS guidelines.

Implementing these guidelines across the vast network of mental health practitioners in the country is no small task. If we do not take action, these recommendations risk becoming mere words on a page. Previous guidelines have too often been disregarded, leading to stagnation in practice. The issue of the “low-risk paradox,” where four out of five individuals who end their lives are not identified as high-risk by current systems, has been known for over 25 years. This requires change.

Looking more closely at the statistics, it becomes evident that while five of the 17 individuals who succumb to suicide each day are connected with mental health services, the remaining 12 are not receiving any support at all. This unsettling reality highlights the persistent stigma surrounding suicide, which contributes to a lack of help-seeking behavior among those in need.

Throughout my campaign, I learned that men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women. This discrepancy is troubling and seems to stem from societal pressures that discourage men from seeking help, often viewing it as a weakness or a personal failure. If we are genuinely committed to suicide prevention, we must intensify efforts both at the national and local levels to combat this stigma.

The landscape of suicide prevention is complex, comprising numerous interconnected elements. A significant factor contributing to the persistently high suicide rates is the absence of a dedicated individual at the top of the system with a clear mandate to prevent suicides. Therefore, I am urgently calling on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to appoint a suicide prevention leader—someone who is accountable for reducing suicide rates and possesses the authority to drive necessary changes. The inertia observed within the system is troubling, and a fresh perspective is essential to motivate meaningful transformations.