New online support service launched across North Yorkshire and beyond to help men with their mental health

A free online mental health and emotional wellbeing support service has been launched to help men living in North Yorkshire and across the Humber, Coast and Vale area. Men aged 18+ can now register to use Qwell for Men – a free, anonymous online counselling and emotional wellbeing service which can be accessed anywhere using…

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Sign up for FREE suicide prevention training workshops in Scarborough

People are being encouraged to sign up for free suicide prevention training workshops in Scarborough next month as part of the #TalkSuicide campaign from local NHS and council organisations.

The Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership is hosting two workshops in Scarborough on Monday, 9th March 2020 at YMCA Building, St Thomas Street, Scarborough, YO11 1DY – and members of the public are invited to attend to learn life-saving skills.

These one-hour workshops, which will run between 9.30am-10.30am and 11am-12pm, are free to attend but it is essential to register beforehand. You can register at bit.ly/talksuicidescarbro.

There were 6,507 registered suicides in the UK in 2018 – which amounts to one death by suicide every 80 minutes. Yorkshire and Humber had some of the highest rates of suicide in England in 2018.

The suicide prevention workshops will be group training sessions, including interactive video-based training from the Zero Suicide Alliance and discussion with people who work in suicide prevention within our local community. Free refreshments will be available.

Completing the training at the workshop will help you 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 from suicidal thoughts to the correct services and support.

The workshops are part of the Partnership’s #TalkSuicide campaign, which aims to reduce the stigma around talking about suicide by raising awareness about suicide in our communities and encouraging our people to complete suicide prevention training.

Jo Kent, Suicide Prevention Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “Every death by suicide is a tragedy and in Humber, Coast and Vale we are working collaboratively with the NHS, councils, voluntary organisations and other groups 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 suicidal, and knowing what to say to them and signposting them to the most appropriate services.

“We want to train as many people as possible in our communities so if you can spare an hour on the morning of Monday, 9th March please register for one of the free suicide prevention training workshops taking place in Scarborough – the skills you learn could help you save someone’s life in the future.”

Can’t attend either of the Scarborough workshops? Workshops are also being held in York, Beverley, Hull, Scunthorpe and Grimsby. Visit www.talksuicide.co.uk to find out when these workshops are taking place.

You can also complete the training on the talksuicide.co.uk website, where you can also find out more about the #TalkSuicide campaign.

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#TalkSuicide campaign encourages people in Scarborough and Ryedale to complete short online suicide prevention training

Published on Jan 31, 2019

The Humber, Coast and Vale Mental Health Partnership has launched the #TalkSuicide campaign to encourage the people of Scarborough and Ryedale to complete a free 20-minute online suicide prevention training programme.

The #TalkSuicide campaign urges pepole in Scarborough and Ryedale to visit www.talksuicide.co.uk to complete the video-based training so they can learn life-saving skills and improve the support network for those struggling with suicidal thoughts.

The Zero Suicide Alliance – a group of NHS Trusts, businesses and individuals committed to suicide prevention – has created the training to help people spot signs in people experiencing suicidal thoughts, and equip them with the information and skills to help them help these people.

There were 5,821 registered suicides in the UK in 2017 – more than one death every two hours – with the Yorkshire and Humber region having some of the highest suicide rates in England.

Mental health issues and financial problems are some of the biggest contributing factors to suicide.

National statistics show that suicide is the biggest killer of men aged under 50. Men accounted for three quarters of suicides registered in 2017, while those aged between 45-49 are considered to be most at risk.

Anyone can undertake the training, which only takes 20 minutes to complete, at www.talksuicide.co.uk

Completing the training will help you to:

Spot signs in people experiencing suicidal thoughts

Feel comfortable speaking about suicide in a supportive manner

Signpost individuals suffering from suicidal thoughts to the correct services or support

Visit www.talksuicide.co.uk to complete the video-based suicide prevention training and learn more about the #TalkSuicide campaign.

Michele Moran, Chair of the Humber, Coast and Vale Mental Health Partnership Board and Chief Executive at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Each death by suicide is a terrible loss and a tragedy for everybody involved. By taking just 20 minutes to complete the online training, you could help save someone from taking their own life.

“The training will help you to be better in identifying suicidal thoughts and behaviour and give you the information to direct them to the most appropriate support services.”

Jo Kent, Humber, Coast and Vale Suicide Prevention Lead said: “The #TalkSuicide and Zero Suicide Alliance websites have plenty of material to help businesses and organisations incorporate this training into their workplace. We’re calling on individuals and businesses alike to encourage their friends, family, colleagues or employees to complete the online training – because knowing what to do and say in the right situation really can help to save a life.”

If you need urgent help, or if you’re worried about the mental or emotional state of yourself or someone you know, help is available from the following services:

Samaritans offer a 24-hours a day, 7 days a week support service. Call them FREE on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) – for men call 0800 58 58 58, 5pm to midnight every day

PAPYRUS (support for young people) – Freephone 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org.

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