Plea for action on record rates of suicide
Councils struggle to cope with stretched resources
A COMPREHENSIVE Government strategy is needed to support men most at risk of suicide, the Samaritans group has warned, as rates in Yorkshire rise at a level not seen since records began.
Last year saw a 25 per cent increase in the number of suicides in the region, with a 51 per cent increase in people taking their own lives since the lowest levels were recorded in 2010.
Significant strides are being made, with a bereavement service launched across West Yorkshire and Harrogate, as authorities set out to reduce suicides by up to 75 per cent in some areas.
But while most councils across the country have set up similar prevention plans, the Samaritans fear many more struggle to deliver with stretched resources.
“Councils must be funded to effectively implement their suicide prevention plans and provide services that address risk factors for suicide, such as substance misuse and debt,” said charity policy manager Joe Potter.
A report by the Samaritans, published with the University of Exeter, found that while almost all local authorities planned to reduce risk in men and improve bereavement support, one in five were not putting this into practice.
“Men, and particularly middleaged men in disadvantaged communities, have consistently remained the highest risk group for suicide in the UK,” said Mr Potter.
“This is why Samaritans is calling for a comprehensive, crossdepartmental Government workplan that prioritises clear actions on how to reach them.
“We want men to get support before they reach a crisis so we need to design services that we know appeals to men.”
Government figures, covering 2018, show a “significant” increase
in suicides in Yorkshire, with both Scarborough and Harrogate highlighted as having a higher that average rate. Early provisional data for this year suggests a further rise, with suicide rates in Yorkshire reaching the highest level in the country in the three months to September.
While the reasoning behind this is complex, the Samaritans found men are three times more likely than women to take their own lives. It is working with groups of men who have struggled to cope, as it aims to build a better understanding of how to reach those at risk.
“We are working closely with local governments to better understand the risk factors in their area and how tailored suicide prevention plans can be delivered effectively on a regional scale,” said Mr Potter.
STANDING OUTSIDE a working men’s club at rock bottom while a bitter wind blows, it takes a certain strength to push open the door.
It takes true courage, says former professional rugby player Luke Ambler, for a tough man to admit when he’s down.
But there is a sanctuary in the storm. A motion in men’s mental health, sparked by the loss of his brother-in-law, is forging a revolution nationwide.
For every Monday night at 7pm, hundreds of men across England are meeting to talk, in pubs or hired halls. It’s ‘fight club’, he says, without the fighting. And it just keeps growing.
“We get 100 messages a month, saying we’ve saved a life,” says Mr Ambler, a co-founder of Andy’s Man Club and former Ireland international and Leeds Rhinos player. “That’s what it’s for, so that another family doesn’t have to bury their son.”
In April 2016, 23-year-old father Andy Roberts died by suicide. Mr Ambler, married to Andy’s sister Lisa, had been the one to break the news.
“I’ll never forget telling my son Alfie, and the screeching of a sixyear-old boy,” he says.
“I’ve never seen devastation like it. There was a lot of anger, and confusion. What could we have done differently?
“It sparked the need, to stop other families going through what we went through. Andy didn’t talk. Maybe if he had, he would still be here.”
With Mr Roberts’ mother, Elaine, Andy’s Man Club was formed, with the first meeting in Halifax. It started with nine men, then 15 the week after.
On a single bitter winter’s night in November, there were 765. Men are not good at talking, says Mr Ambler, it takes courage to open that door. But there is a growing need.
“Men don’t talk, for three reasons,” he said. “They feel a burden, that it’s a weakness, or they’re embarrassed. But it takes a stronger person to say how you’re feeling. To have the confidence to say ‘I have a problem, and I’m struggling in life’. To say that’s weak, well it’s a load of tosh.
“I’ve never met anybody who isn’t either going through a storm, recovering from one, or facing one. You are never a burden on anybody.”
There’s a town hall in Hebden Bridge that holds meetings, a fire station in Huddersfield. A football club, a rugby club, the Halifax Shay Stadium. There are 25 clubs now, from Cornwall to Perth, with more to open soon in Rotherham and Torbay. They are scouting for rooms big enough in Scarborough and Sunderland.
At the base in Halifax, Mr Ambler is in a state of constant motion. The phone rings every few minutes, if it’s not over a crisis then it’s the charity’s board, drawing up new protocols.
Boxes line the walls, filled with T-shirts and wristbands all bearing the logo ‘It’s OK to Talk’.
Mr Ambler, as we speak, is pricing up winter gilets as Christmas gifts for volunteers.
There are 131 of them now, and it will all add up. But they give their time, every week without fail, to help those that are struggling. Many started themselves by drawing on the courage to push open that door.
“Andy had the world at his feet,” says Mr Ambler. “There was no warning, no signs or signals.
“We live in a culture where people may be suicidal, and look like they’re doing well.”
I’ve never seen devastation like it. What could we have done differently? Luke Ambler, former Leeds Rhinos player.
SUICIDE IS a tragedy not only for those who reach such depths of despair that they feel compelled to take their own lives, but for loved ones left behind to grieve.
It is both immensely sad and deeply concerning that suicide rates in Yorkshire have risen at a rate not seen since records began, with a 25 per cent increase in the past year.
Men, particularly those from disadvantaged areas, are at the highest risk.
This is an issue that demands urgent attention at both national and local levels.
The Samaritans, the charity that has highlighted it and which does such vital work to help those at risk of taking their own lives, is calling for a comprehensive plan to reduce suicides and that needs to happen without delay.
As with other social problems, a shortage of resources is a significant factor.
It is all very well for the Department of Health and Social Care to say that it is funding services adequately, but the rising number of suicides plainly point to this not being the case.
Whilst voluntary initiatives such as Andy’s Man Club, co-founded by former Leeds Rhinos player Luke Ambler, are doing sterling work, there also needs to be a properly thought out central strategy on suicide prevention that identifies and addresses risk factors.
This will cost money. As the Samaritans point out, the reasons for suicides are complex, and solutions will have to be tailored to each individual.
But however much it costs, the necessary funds will have to be found.
Public understanding and recognition of mental health issues that can lead to suicide have greatly increased in recent years.
The lesson to be taken from today’s figures is that much more needs to be done if this tragic toll of deaths is to be reduced.