All Prisons must have procedures in place to identify, manage and support prisoners who are at risk of suicide or self-harm harm and to reduce that risk.

National policy requires that any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm must be managed and supported using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process. ACCT is a multi-disciplinary process, and each prisoner subject to it is managed by a team composed of a range of staff drawn from the prison and other organisations, such as healthcare and education providers.

The information is not available in the format requested. However, data is collected according to the financial year from April to March.

Data for how many boys and girls between 10 and 17 who have been admitted to hospital for self-harm each year since April 2010 is outlined in the table below.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

This data should not be interpreted as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. Reference should be made to the notes when interpreting the data.

In January 2014 the Government launched the Mental Health Action Plan, Closing the Gap: Priorities for essential change in mental health. Of the 25 actions in the plan, one offers a commitment to change the way front line services respond to self-harm and to ensure that no-one experiencing a mental health crisis should ever be turned away from services.

In the revised Public Health Outcomes Framework we have introduced a new indicator that is specifically about self-harm. Under this indicator, we will measure:

- attendances at emergency departments for self-harm per 100,000 population

- percentage of attendances at emergency departments for self-harm that received a psychosocial assessment.

This two-part indicator helps us not only understand the prevalence of self-harm but also how emergency departments are responding. This information can then inform future commissioning.

The Department has invested £54 million into the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (CYP IAPT) over 2011-15/16. The CYP IAPT programme is designed to improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies for a range of issues, including self-harm, and the CYP IAPT curriculum includes training in evidence-based treatments for young people who self-harm.

In December the Government announced an investment of £30 million per year from 2015-16 to 2019-20 to improve services for children and young people with mental health problems. This includes improving access for young people who self-harm to services in their communities with properly trained teams, making hospital admission a last resort.

The Government is also investing £30 million in 2015-16 to improve psychiatric liaison in general hospitals. This will help to ensure young people who present at hospital after self-harming that could be the result of an underlying mental health condition are referred for assessment.

Notes:

Data is not available on the number of girls and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 who were offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and accepted that offer, broken down by each NHS trust in England.

¹Finished admission episodes. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

²Cause Code. A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The cause codes used to identify episodes of self-harm were:

A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in HES.

The cause codes used to identify episodes of self-harm were:

X60 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to nonopioid analgesics, antipryretics and antirheumatics

X61 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, antiparkinsom and psychotropic drugs, note elsewhere classified

X62 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], not elsewhere classified

X63 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other drugs acting on the automatic nervous system

X64 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances

X65 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol

X66 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours

X67 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other gases and vapours

X68 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to pesticides

X69 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances

X70 - Intentional self-harm by hanging, strangulation and suffocation

X71 - Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion

X72 - Intentional self-harm by handgun discharge

X73 - Intentional self-harm by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge

X74 - Intentional self-harm by other and unspecified firearm discharge

X75 - Intentional self-harm by explosive material

X76 - Intentional self-harm by smoke, fire and flames

X77 - Intentional self-harm by steam, hot vapours and hot objects

X78 - Intentional self-harm by sharp object

X79 - Intentional self-harm by blunt object

X80 - Intentional self-harm by jumping from a high place

X81 - Intentional self-harm by jumping or lying before moving object

X82 - Intentional self-harm by crashing of motor vehicle

X83 - Intentional self-harm by other specified means

X84 - Intentional self-harm by unspecified means

Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) is the system used for monitoring people considered to be at risk of self harm and operates within the broader context of decency, safety, and the concept of a healthy centre.

The table below provides the number of women in Yarl’s Wood who were placed on constant observation to prevent self harm for the financial years 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 1 April to 30 June 2014.

The information is based on management information only and has not been subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. These figures are provisional and are subject to change.

Financial Year

2012/2013 2013/2014 1 April – 30 June 2014
Number of women on constant observations to prevent self harm

168 164 36

Data on the numbers of women placed on constant observation to prevent self harm prior to 2012 is not recorded electronically and cannot be provided without examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Provisionally 2,464 women entered detention at Yarl’s Wood IRC in 2012/2013, 2,004 in 2013/2014 and 481 between 1 April and 30 June 2014. Source Immigration Statistics:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

This figure does not include women who transferred from other parts of the detention estate or returned to the estate from prisons. It may include women who have been detained on more than one separate occasion in the time period shown, such as a person who has left detention, but has subsequently been re-detained.

Data on the number of finished admission episodes for self harm for 0 to 17 year olds for the years 2003-04 to 2012-13 is in the following table.

This data should not be interpreted as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. Reference should be made to the notes when interpreting the data.

The Government is committed to reducing self-harm.

The Mental Health Action Plan, Closing the Gap: Priorities for Essential Change in Mental Health (January 2014), sets out 25 of the most important changes that we want the National Health Service and social care to make in the next few years to improve the lives of people with mental health problems and help reduce health inequalities. It highlights how we will change the way frontline health services respond to self-harm.

In the revised Public Health Outcomes Framework, we have introduced a new indicator that is specifically about self-harm. Under this indicator, we will measure:

- attendances at emergency departments for self-harm per 100,000 population;

- percentage of attendances at emergency departments for self-harm that received a psychosocial assessment.

This two-part indicator helps us not only understand the prevalence of self-harm but also how emergency departments are responding. This information can then inform future commissioning.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines make it clear that anyone who attends an emergency department for self-harm should be offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs. In 2004, NICE published a clinical guideline on self-harm. This covered the short-term physical and psychological management and secondary prevention of self-harm in primary and secondary care. It sets out the care people who harm themselves can expect to receive from healthcare professionals in hospital and out of hospital; the information they can expect to receive; what they can expect from treatment and what kinds of services best help people who harm themselves. Following on from this guideline, in November 2011, NICE issued a clinical practice guideline on the longer-term management of self-harm.

We expect general practitioners to refer people who disclose self-harm for psychological support as appropriate. We are investing £54 million over the period 2011 – 2015-16 in the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme which is giving children and young people improved access to the best evidenced mental health care. This includes Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for emotional disorders such as anxiety and depressive disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020 contains the first waiting time standards for mental health.

It announces the introduction of improved investment in specialist intensive psychiatric mental health facilities for children and young people to reduce waiting times for intensive psychiatric care and to end the practice of young people being admitted to mental health beds far away from where they live or from being inappropriately admitted to adult wards. It announces the introduction of standard waiting times for Early Intervention in Psychosis services which will be of benefit to young people, and for the adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme. It makes it clear that the waiting time standards announced are a first step. There will also be £30 million increased investment in liaison psychiatry to help people including young people presenting in accident and emergency departments with mental health problems. The vision is for comprehensive standards to be developed over the coming years for all ages, including for children and young people. However, where adult IAPT services are commissioned to provide a service to 16 and 17 year olds, the waiting time standard will apply to all those attending the service, regardless of their age.

Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives was published on 10 September 2012 to coincide with the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s World Suicide Prevention Day.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research and the Policy Research Programme has invested significantly in mental health research and will continue to support high-quality research on suicide, suicide prevention and self-harm.

The Suicide Prevention Strategy, Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives is backed by £1.5 million funding, through the Policy Research Programme, which is supporting six projects to help us better understand key aspects of suicide and self-harm, including looking at self-harm in young people and the role of the internet and social media.

The new e-portal – MindEd – launched in March 2014 includes content on self-harm, suicide and risk in children and young people.

Notes

¹Finished admission episodes. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

²Cause Code. A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in HES. The cause codes used to identify episodes of self harm were:

A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in HES.

The cause codes used to identify episodes of self harm were:

X60 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to nonopioid analgesics, antipryretics and antirheumatics

X61 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic, antiparkinsom and psychotropic drugs, note elsewhere classified

X62 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], not elsewhere classified

X63 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other drugs acting on the automatic nervous system

X64 – Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances

X65 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol

X66 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours

X67 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other gases and vapours

X68 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to pesticides

X69 - Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances

X70 – Intentional self-harm by hanging, strangulation and suffocation

X71 - Intentional self-harm by drowning and submersion

X72 - Intentional self-harm by handgun discharge

X73 - Intentional self-harm by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge

X74 - Intentional self-harm by other and unspecified firearm discharge

X75 - Intentional self-harm by explosive material

X76 - Intentional self-harm by smoke, fire and flames

X77 - Intentional self-harm by steam, hot vapours and hot objects

X78 - Intentional self-harm by sharp object

X79 - Intentional self-harm by blunt object

X80 - Intentional self-harm by jumping from a high place

X81 - Intentional self-harm by jumping or lying before moving object

X82 - Intentional self-harm by crashing of motor vehicle

X83 - Intentional self-harm by other specified means

X84 - Intentional self-harm by unspecified means

³Assessing growth through time (Admitted patient care).

HES figures are available from 1989-1990 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes to NHS practice). For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted HES patient data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information. Note that Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, eg 2012-13 includes activity between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

The number of incidents of self-harm by prisoners held on remand is published in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics.

Table 2.6 of the Self-Harm in Prison Custody tables shows self-harm incidents by status of the prisoner.

All prisons have procedures to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves and additional resources and support are being provided to improve this safer custody work.

The rate of self-harm in women’s prisons is much higher than in men’s prisons. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that women in prison have access to mental health care so that they can tackle the problems they face?

It is true that the rate of self-harm is far too high in our prisons and is traditionally higher among women than men. I can reassure my hon. Friend a little, however: between 2004 and 2010, the number of incidents was over 10,000 a year, but that has come down significantly in the last three years to fewer than 6,000 last year. However, this issue is clearly linked to mental health, and the Deputy Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and I have made it clear that we want mental health services to be as good in prisons as in the rest of the country and as good as all other NHS services and that we want to identify mental health issues when people first enter the criminal justice system, so that, ideally, they can be diverted from prison, not sent to prison.

The Government does not tolerate violence of any kind in young offender institutions and assaults are treated extremely seriously. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is comprehensively reviewing how it manages violence and will issue revised guidance in 2015. NOMS is also working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to improve the investigation and prosecution of crime in young offender institutions and prisons.

The Government is committed to reducing self-harm in young offender institutions. All young offender institutions and prisons are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves. These procedures include the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, which is an offender-centred, flexible care planning system designed to ensure that offenders at risk are managed in a way that is responsive to individual needs, including those related to age.

An analysis of assaults and self-harm by age is included in the Safety in Custody Statistics Bulletin, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety-in-custody-statistics.

All prisons are required to have procedures to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves. A health assessment is undertaken for all prisoners on reception into custody to assess their risk of suicide or self-harm. The prisoner’s Person Escort Record form, which is available to staff on reception, may provide information about concerns of self-harm. When a prisoner is identified as being at-risk of self-harm, they are managed through the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, which is a prisoner-centred, flexible care planning system.

All relevant risk information is recorded on the Prison NOMIS case management system and on healthcare IT systems where appropriate. All staff working directly with prisoners have access to NOMIS and the relevant risk information.

Data on the prevalence of self-harm amongst minors is not routinely collected.

The 2004 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey found the rate of self-harm in 5-10 year olds was 0.8% in those with no disorder, rising to 6.2% in those with an anxiety disorder and 7.5% in those with hyperkinetic disorder, conduct disorder or one of the less common disorders.

The prevalence of self-harm increased in adolescence with the rates of 1.2% in those with no disorder, rising to 9.4% in those with an anxiety disorder and 18.8% in those with depression. Rates of hospital admission for self-harm have increased sharply over the last decade.

Data on the number of people aged under 18 requiring hospital treatment for self-harm is available through Hospital Episode Statistics. The most recent data is in the following table.

Count of finished admission episodes with a cause code of self-harm and a count of accident and emergency attendances (excluding planned attendances) with a patient group of deliberate self-harm for (1) females under 18 and (2) males under 18 for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Notes:

a) admissions do not represent the number of inpatients as a person may have more than one admission in one year and

b) a patient may have attended Accident and Emergency (A&E) and then been admitted to hospital as a single event, in this case the event would be included in both the A&E and hospital admission figures

c) reference to the footnotes should be made when interpreting the data.

The Government is committed to reducing self-harm in prisons. The Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process provides a prisoner-centred, flexible case management system for prisoners identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons has made recommendations about improving the operation of the ACCT system in a number of prisons during the last year, and action is being taken to address these recommendations within those prisons. Dedicated resources and additional support are being provided to improve safer custody work in prisons, including improving the consistency of the application of the ACCT system.

Data for the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, and the number of men, and women, aged over 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, broken down by National Health Service trust in England has been placed in the Library.

Data on the age breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

Data on the ethnic breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

For each question we have provided a count of finished admission episodes with a cause code of self harm and a count of accident and emergency attendances (excluding planned attendances) with a patient group of deliberate self-harm for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Please note:

- the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion;

- a patient may have attended Accident and Emergency (A&E) and then been admitted to hospital as a single event, in this case the event would be included in both the A&E and hospital admission figures; and

- it is not mandatory for data providers to submit data for "patient group".

The notes should be referred to when interpreting the data.

Data is not available on the number of girls, and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 who were offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and accepted that offer, broken down by each NHS trust in England.

Data for the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, and the number of men, and women, aged over 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, broken down by National Health Service trust in England has been placed in the Library.

Data on the age breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

Data on the ethnic breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

For each question we have provided a count of finished admission episodes with a cause code of self harm and a count of accident and emergency attendances (excluding planned attendances) with a patient group of deliberate self-harm for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Please note:

- the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion;

- a patient may have attended Accident and Emergency (A&E) and then been admitted to hospital as a single event, in this case the event would be included in both the A&E and hospital admission figures; and

- it is not mandatory for data providers to submit data for "patient group".

The notes should be referred to when interpreting the data.

Data is not available on the number of girls, and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 who were offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and accepted that offer, broken down by each NHS trust in England.

Data for the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, and the number of men, and women, aged over 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, broken down by National Health Service trust in England has been placed in the Library.

Data on the age breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

Data on the ethnic breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

For each question we have provided a count of finished admission episodes with a cause code of self harm and a count of accident and emergency attendances (excluding planned attendances) with a patient group of deliberate self-harm for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Please note:

- the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion;

- a patient may have attended Accident and Emergency (A&E) and then been admitted to hospital as a single event, in this case the event would be included in both the A&E and hospital admission figures; and

- it is not mandatory for data providers to submit data for "patient group".

The notes should be referred to when interpreting the data.

Data is not available on the number of girls, and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 who were offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and accepted that offer, broken down by each NHS trust in England.

Data for the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, and the number of men, and women, aged over 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010, broken down by National Health Service trust in England has been placed in the Library.

Data on the age breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls, and boys, aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

Data on the ethnic breakdown of the figures in respect of the number of girls and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 has been placed in the Library.

For each question we have provided a count of finished admission episodes with a cause code of self harm and a count of accident and emergency attendances (excluding planned attendances) with a patient group of deliberate self-harm for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Please note:

- the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion;

- a patient may have attended Accident and Emergency (A&E) and then been admitted to hospital as a single event, in this case the event would be included in both the A&E and hospital admission figures; and

- it is not mandatory for data providers to submit data for "patient group".

The notes should be referred to when interpreting the data.

Data is not available on the number of girls, and boys aged under 18 years who received hospital treatment for self-harm each year since 2010 who were offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and accepted that offer, broken down by each NHS trust in England.

The government is committed to open and transparent reporting of self-harm in custody and publish statistics on self-harm in prison custody in England and Wales quarterly in the National Statistics “Safety in Custody” bulletin. This statistical series can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics.

The number of individuals committing at least one self-harm incident in prison custody in each year and year-on-year change is presented in table 1.

Figures are provided for England and Wales only. Figures are not published by the Ministry of Justice for other areas of the United Kingdom as the judicial systems are a devolved matter for the respective administrations.

Around 80 prisoners in every 1,000 in prison custody self-harm.

Table 1: Year-on-year percentage change of individuals self-harming in prison custody, England and Wales

All prisons have procedures to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves. Prisoners at risk are subject to individual case management and receive support from prison staff, supplemented, where appropriate, by input from mental health services and a range of other sources such as peer supporters and the Samaritans.

Additional resources and support are being provided for safer custody work in prisons and in particular to improve the consistency of the application of the case management system for prisoners identified as at risk of self harm or suicide.

Spotting the signs of mental health problems early in children and young people is essential to prevent problems from escalating and continuing into adulthood.

On 25 March the Minister of State for Care and Support (Norman Lamb) launched MindEd, an interactive e-learning programme on mental health designed to help any adult working with children and young people. Funded by the department, the learning and resources provided by the MindEd e-portal are designed to extend the skills and knowledge of National Health Service clinicians and professionals such as teachers, social workers, counsellors and supervisors working in a range of educational and youth settings.

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is there to support children of school age with mental health problems, including those who are found to be self-harming.

On 16 June 2014, the Department for Education issued advice for school staff on mental health and behaviour. This new advice links to existing advice on behaviour and discipline, which indicates that schools should consider whether continuing disruptive behaviour arises from unmet mental health needs.

The advice will help schools identify and support pupils with an unmet mental health condition. It will give teachers the confidence to:

differentiate between poor behaviour linked to potential mental health problems and poor behaviour which cannot be explained in this way;

identify those with less severe problems at an early stage and build their resilience through the school’s pastoral system, using external agencies where necessary;

identify those with more severe mental health needs and make timely referrals to statutory and/or voluntary agencies, including CAMHS.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines make it clear that anyone who attends an emergency department for self-harm should be offered a comprehensive assessment of their physical, psychological and social needs. Self-harm has been identified as a priority for action in the Mental Health Action Plan, Closing the Gap: Priorities for essential change in mental health, published January 2014.A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives was published on 10 September 2012. The suicide prevention strategy is backed by up to £1.5 million funding through the Policy Research Programme, to help us better understand key aspects of suicide and self-harm, including looking at self-harm in young people and the role of the internet and social media.