A Scunthorpe manufacturer is encouraging other businesses in the town to offer suicide prevention training to staff, as part of a region-wide campaign led by local NHS and council organisations.
The #TalkSuicide campaign encourages people to complete a FREE 20-minute suicide prevention training programme, which is available at www.talksuicide.co.uk.
People who complete the training are taught how to:
- Identify the signs of when someone might be suffering from suicidal thoughts.
- Feel comfortable speaking out about suicide in a supportive manner.
- Signpost anyone suffering to the correct services and support.
The campaign is led by the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership – whose member organisations include North Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust.
Steel door and security solution provider Bradbury Group, which employs more than 200 people at its production facility in Scunthorpe, became ambassadors for the #TalkSuicide campaign last year when they encouraged their staff to complete the suicide prevention training.
Employees were encouraged to use computers at work to complete the training during their breaks or once they had finished work, while the training was also promoted to colleagues during meetings. A short video has been created to capture Bradbury Group employees’ experiences of completing the training.
Patsy Payling, Operations Director, said: “We have a lot of men that work for us so we wanted them to know it’s okay to feel this way, we wanted to make them aware of what they can do to help a colleague if they see something wrong in the workplace because men don’t always talk about how they are feeling.
“Everyone who completed the training got some form of benefit, without a doubt. I took the training as I wanted to lead by example. I found the training to be really informative, with scenarios you could understand and relate to.”
Katie Harrison, Senior Marketing Executive, said: “The training taught me the importance of making sure that the people you work with and your friends and family are okay and to regularly check in with them. Whether they are showing signs or not, you don’t know what people are going through and it’s important to be there and always be open to having a conversation with someone.
“I definitely think other companies should roll it out to their staff. I think it’s important for everyone to learn about mental health and how people can deal with this issue. So many people go through mental health problems now and we don’t want to get to the point where it’s becoming more and more common but people still don’t understand what they can do to help.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2019 – which amounts to around one death by suicide every 90 minutes. A survey carried out by mental health charity Mind indicates that one in six employees has experienced depression, anxiety or unmanageable stress in the workplace.
Jo Kent, Suicide Prevention Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “I want to thank every member of staff at Bradbury Group who took 20 minutes out of their day to complete the suicide prevention training. In Humber, Coast and Vale we are working collaboratively with a number of organisations, including local businesses, to prevent suicides from happening in our communities.
“The suicide prevention training is integral to this work as those who complete the training can make a real difference in their communities, simply by being better placed to identify those people who might be suffering from suicidal thoughts, knowing what to say to them in these circumstances, and signposting them to the most appropriate services.”
Are you an employer wanting to offer suicide prevention training to your staff? Request your FREE training pack at www.talksuicide.co.uk/employers
