Immediate action demanded after report shows many suicides and homicides could be prevented

Mental health charity, MACA, has called for immediate action to
improve care plan provision for people with mental illness to
prevent more suicides.

The call comes following the results of research by the National
Confidential Inquiry into Suicides and Homicides, which showed 250
suicides and six homicides could be prevented each year.

The inquiry made a raft of recommendations including the need
for a suicide prevention strategy for each country in the UK, and a
system for approving training courses for NHS and social care
staff.

Commenting on the inquiry’s findings, Simon Lawton Smith, head
of public affairs at MACA, said: ‘We need stronger action to
improve care plans now or more people are going to die at their own
hands.’

Other recommendations made by the inquiry were specifically
aimed at the care programme approach as exclusively revealed by
Community Care.

John Hutton, health minister, welcomed the report and said work
was already underway to address the issues it raised.