National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health

Impact: Health impacts, Societal impacts, Health impacts

Narrative

Suicide is one of the most serious adverse outcomes in mental health services. NCISH research is based on a comprehensive and internationally unique database (120,000 suicide deaths; 30,000 patient suicide deaths). NCISH impacts upon practice and policy by providing definitive figures on suicide to clinical services and government, producing data-driven safety recommendations and demonstrating that these recommendations reduce suicide. Based on NCISH research, overall patient suicide rates fell by 26% (2004-11), in-patient deaths fell by 58% (2001-2010), and individual recommendations may have prevented between 200-300 patient suicide deaths per year. A new vehicle for impact delivery is the social enterprise Safer Care Ltd (founded 2013), which has already reviewed 4 Trusts and, by reinvesting future income in the social enterprise, we will continue to meet the specific needs of mental health services.
Impact date19962019
Category of impactHealth impacts, Societal impacts, Health impacts