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Suicide prevention policy

Warning: This briefing discusses suicide and self-harm, which some readers may find distressing.

Suicide rates in the UK

In 2024, there were 7,147 deaths registered in the UK where the cause was recorded as suicide. England had the lowest rate of suicide in the United Kingdom. The age-standardised mortality rates in 2024 were:

• 1 deaths per 100,000 people in England
• 7 deaths per 100,000 people in Wales
• 7 deaths per 100,000 people in Scotland
• 4 deaths per 100,000 people in Northern Ireland

However, it is important to note that there are differences in data collection and collation processes between the home countries and this could have some impact on reported rates.

The chart below shows trends in the age-standardised mortality rate from suicide since 1984 in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Data here is presented as a three-year average.

Rates fluctuate from year to year, partly due to random variation, so a three-year average can make it easier to observe trends.

Note: Older Northern Ireland data is shown as a dotted line. This is not directly comparable with more recent figures (solid line) due to changes in the classification of suicide deaths.

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Suicides in England and Wales dataset, 3 October 2025, Tables 2 and 3; NRS, Probable suicides 2024, 28 October 2025, Table 1 (figures back to 1983 were provided by NRS); NISRA, Suicide statistics 2024 2 November 2025 Table 4.

Further statistics and background information is available in the House of Commons Library briefing Suicide statistics.

Suicide prevention strategies in the UK

Healthcare is devolved, the following section provides information about suicide prevention strategies in each of the devolved nations.

England

Five-year cross-sector strategy for suicide prevention

In September 2023, the then Conservative government published a five-year cross-sector strategy for suicide prevention in England, alongside an action plan with intended timelines for delivery. The three aims of the strategy were to:

• reduce the suicide rate over the next five years with initial reductions within half this time or sooner
• improve support for people who have self-harmed
• improve support for people bereaved by suicide

The current government has said it is committed to delivering the suicide prevention strategy for England. In June 2026, the government said it will update the strategy with evidence, progress so far and where there are opportunities to go further.

The government had said it has delivered the following actions towards suicide prevention, including improving mental health support:

• £3.6 million targeted suicide prevention support for middle-aged men in areas that need it (a priority group identified in the strategy)
• NHS England’s publication of the Staying Safe from Suicide guidance
• e-learning on suicide prevention for mental health staff
• the introduction of the Near Real Time Suspected Suicide Surveillance System to identify emerging trends more quickly
• action to tackle harmful online suicide and self-harm content as the Online Safety Act is implemented
• funding of £10m for national Suicide Prevention Grant Fund between 2023 and 2025 to voluntary, community and social enterprises in England
• continuing to fund the Multicentre Study of Self-harm to help inform policy and clinical practice
• recruiting 8,500 mental health support workers

10 Year Health Plan

The 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS, published by the government in July 2025, aims to reduce the number of lives lost to “the biggest killers”, which includes suicide. The plan says new digital tools, digitised therapies and real-time suicide surveillance will improve mental health and reduce suicide rates.

Scotland

The current strategy in Scotland, Creating hope together: Suicide prevention strategy 2022 to 2032, was published in 2022. A Suicide prevention action plan 2022 to 2025 was published alongside.

In July 2024, the Scottish Government published a delivery plan from 2024-26 for the strategy and in January 2026 a second delivery plan for the strategy from 2026-2029.

Wales

In April 2025, the Welsh government published its current strategy, a 10 year suicide prevention and self-harm strategy to reduce the rates of suicide and improve outcomes for people affected by suicide and self-harm.

Alongside the strategy, it published a delivery plan from 2025 to 2028.

Northern Ireland

The current strategy in Northern Ireland, Protect life 2: Strategy for preventing suicide and self harm in Northern Ireland 2019-2024, was published in 2019. In September 2023, it was announced the strategy has been extended to the end of 2027.

Following a review of the strategy in 2024, an Action Plan for 2025-2027 (with potential of extension to 2029) was published in 2025.

Suicide prevention and mental health

The Nuffield Trust has said “suicides by people in contact with mental health services are arguably the most preventable” and that improving support in mental health services could help prevent suicides.

Between 2013 and 2023, approximately 26% of all people who died by suicide in the UK were in contact with mental health services within 12 months of their death. Of these, nearly two thirds (61%) had a history of self-harm, nearly half (46%) had a history of alcohol misuse and over a third (38%) had a history of drug misuse.

The following policy information relates to England.

Crisis and community mental health services

The introduction of 24/7 access to mental health support is promised as part of neighbourhood health services and the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, published in July 2025.

The plan said it would increase capacity for urgent mental health care by developing 85 dedicated mental health emergency departments (MHEDs) for faster, same-day access to specialist support in an appropriate setting. MHEDs would be co-located (or very close to) to 50% of existing type 1 A&E units. In August 2026, the government said there were 23 MHEDs. It further stated it has allocated £156 million to trusts for the initial 59 new MHEDs.

Since July 2025, six community-based mental health centres are currently being piloted. These provide support to individuals with severe mental illness, without the need to book an appointment. These centres are open 24/7. In August 2026, alongside its announcement for MHEDs, the government announced £187 of funding for 100 new community-based mental health centres that offer walk-in support.

The first sites are expected to open from autumn 2026 and more will open from March 2027.

In August 2024, NHS England confirmed that all individuals in England have access to 24/7, age-appropriate crisis care via the NHS 111 #MH option.

The government has said further work is needed to ensure children and young people can access a comprehensive crisis service across the country.

Safety in mental health inpatient care

In 2025, NHS England (NHSE) published guidance titled Staying safe from suicide that recommended mental health practitioners use a more holistic approach to assessing suicide risk that takes into account people’s overall biological, psychological and social well-being.

Patients discharged from acute inpatient settings should be followed up in the community within 72 hours. In January 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHSE published guidance on how patients should be discharged from mental health inpatient settings..

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch undertook a review of mental health inpatient services. This included investigating how service providers learn from deaths and translate learning into improvement. It published a series of reports over 2024 and 2025. Its overarching report Mental health inpatient settings was published in May 2025.