Business call to action: We need to talk about suicide

Grassroots Suicide Prevention charity are launching a new campaign to tackle the concerning situation with suicide rates in Brighton and Hove. The city is famously liberal, the LGBT capital of the UK and the number one location for a weekend away. What is not so well known however, is that Brighton and Hove’s suicide rate is far higher than the average for the South East and England as a whole.

Grassroots Suicide Prevention are a Brighton charity who have a solution. They are working to open up the channels of communication around suicide and help to reduce these worrying statistics in Brighton and Hove, around the UK and the entire planet. Their plan includes training for businesses in Brighton and Hove so that staff are given the skills to prevent suicide and most importantly are prepared to talk about it. 

The charity have perfected unique training for businesses to help employees who are thinking about suicide, colleagues who are worried about someone and employers who want to provide the best working environment for their staff. They have developed a pledge for Brighton and Hove businesses to sign to show their support for the campaign and are also compiling data about how suicide in the workplace is handled currently. So far the survey has shown that over 30% of businesses in Brighton and Hove have been impacted by suicide and are aware that 20-40% of their employees are their employees experiencing mental health problems in the workplace (e.g. depression, anxiety, psychosis). Their goal is to have 100 businesses signed up to their pledge by World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 as part of Grassroots' ground-breaking initiative to develop Brighton & Hove as an internationally recognised 'suicide safer city.'

Chris Brown, director of Grassroots Suicide Prevention, said,
“Businesses are uniquely placed to reach out to their staff and colleagues who might be thinking of suicide. Most people who die by suicide are of working age and many will be in employment. 1 in 20 of us consider suicide in a 2 week period and business people are no different. Together we can help make our city safer from suicide.”

If you are worried about someone or feel that your business could benefit from this training then take the pledge, sign up for the free suicide alertness training or fill out the survey. To find out more about suicide prevention at http://www.prevent-suicide.org.uk/. 

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