School encourages Hull and East Yorkshire companies to offer suicide prevention training to staff

Staff and students at Hull Collegiate School are encouraging businesses in Hull and East Yorkshire to offer suicide prevention training to staff, as part of a campaign by local NHS and council organisations launched on Word Suicide Prevention Day (10^th September).

The #TalkSuicide campaign encourages people to complete a FREE 20-minute suicide prevention training programme, which is available at talksuicide.co.uk. Businesses are encouraged to offer the training to their staff and can access support and resources at talksuicide.co.uk/employers.

People who complete the training are taught how to:

• Identify the signs of when someone might be suffering from suicidal thoughts.
• Feel comfortable speaking out about suicide in a supportive manner. 
• Signpost anyone suffering to the correct services and support. 

The campaign is led by the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership – whose member organisations include Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Hull Collegiate School, an independent school in Anlaby, East Yorkshire, which educates children aged three to 18, became ambassadors for the #TalkSuicide campaign last year when they encouraged staff and their sixth-form students to complete the suicide prevention training. A short video has been created to capture staff and pupils’ experiences of completing the training.

Chris Wainman, Deputy Head at Hull Collegiate School, said: “We’re currently looking after 600 students ranging from 3-18 so this training is a must for us. It’s every person’s worst nightmare to be in a situation where a suicide happens so if there is a chance that this training will help to save a life, then we must do it.

“Whether you are a school or a business I would completely recommend this training as you could help to save a life.”

Lydia Black, one of the year-13 students who completed the training, said: “I would recommend to others to definitely do the training. It’s really useful, especially for people who aren’t used to speaking about suicide and mental health.

“The three different scenarios included in the training was a really good way to learn how to speak openly about suicide and put them into practise. I would recommend this training to everyone.”

Fellow year-13 pupil, Joe Healey, added: “I liked how easy it was for someone who has never experienced anything like this to pick up the skills in such a short space of time. The training is a great starting point for those wanting to learn more. I would recommend this training to everyone.”

Jack Wild, another year-13 student who completed the training, said: “The suicide prevention training was really good and very easy to use. It was really useful for me to relate back to the different scenarios that were included in the training, and it was easy for me to understand more about what some people are going through.” 

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2019 - which amounts to around one death by suicide every 90 minutes. A survey carried out by mental health charity Mind indicates that one in six employees has experienced depression, anxiety or unmanageable stress in the workplace.

Jo Kent, Suicide Prevention Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “I want to thank the staff and pupils at Hull Collegiate School who took 20 minutes out of their day to complete the suicide prevention training. In Humber, Coast and Vale we are working collaboratively with a number of organisations, including local businesses, to prevent suicides from happening in our communities.

“The suicide prevention training is integral to this work as those who complete the training can make a real difference in their communities, simply by being better placed to identify those people who might be suffering from suicidal thoughts, knowing what to say to them in these circumstances, and signposting them to the most appropriate services.”

Are you an employer wanting to offer suicide prevention training to your staff? Request your FREE training pack at talksuicide.co.uk/employers.