Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who the members are of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Membership of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group (NSPSAG) is arranged by direct appointment and reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to reflect the strategic direction and priorities of the national suicide prevention strategy for England and subsequent progress reports. Final decisions on membership rests with the Department and the Chair of NSPSAG, Professor Sir Louis Appleby. We will also be considering NSPSAG membership as we develop our new suicide prevention strategy.
NSPSAG membership is made up of a wide range of experts, including those with lived experience, academics, the voluntary sector, public health and the National Health Service. Member organisations are: Association of Directors of Public Health; British Transport Police; Coroners’ Society of England and Wales; Harmless; Health Education England; If U Care Share; James' Place; Local Government Association; Mental Health Foundation; Mental Health Innovations; Ministry of Justice; Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England; National Suicide Prevention Alliance; NHS England; Office for National Statistics; Papyrus; Royal College of General Practitioners; Royal College of Nursing; Royal College of Psychiatrists; Samaritans; Shout; The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities; Young Minds; and Zero Suicide Alliance.
Queries about the NSPSAG should be sent to the Department, which provides the secretariat function for the NSPSAG.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue a report explaining the underlying reasons for the level of excess deaths for 25 to 64-year old men in England between the start of the covid-19 pandemic and the end of 2022.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has been reporting on excess mortality in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, via its Excess Mortality report, which is updated monthly. The report includes weekly estimates of excess deaths, including for men aged 25 to 64.
OHID’s report estimates that there have been 19,293 excess deaths for men in this age group across the course of the pandemic in England (deaths registered between 21 March 2020 and 30 December 2022). During this period, deaths for men aged 25 to 49 have been 11% higher than expected and deaths for men aged 50-64 have been 18% higher than expected.
The Department is closely monitoring figures on excess deaths and OHID will continue to update their monthly report. No additional reporting on excess deaths for men aged 25 to 64 is planned.
It is likely that a combination of factors has contributed to excess deaths, including the ongoing challenges and impact of COVID-19, and health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the suicide rate of male veterans under 25.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
All veterans can access bespoke National Health Service mental health support through Op COURAGE, which provides a complete mental health care pathway for veterans, who can benefit from personalised care plans, support and treatment both in and out of hours. Op COURAGE includes the High Intensity Service, which is for veterans in crisis about mental health, including at risk of suicide. We strongly encourage all veterans who need mental health support to contact Op COURAGE.
Veterans who may not wish to access Op COURAGE can also access the full suite of NHS support available to the public, including via the 24 hours seven days a week single point of access telephone lines for urgent NHS mental health support, which are in place in every area of the country. Alongside this, veterans can also access third sector support via many helplines, including the Samaritans and other suicide prevention helplines.
Additionally, every local authority has a suicide prevention plan in place, tailored to meet the needs of their local communities. The Government is also investing an additional £57 million in suicide prevention by 2023/24 through the NHS Long Term Plan to support local suicide prevention plans and the development of suicide bereavement services, which will enable more people to access the support they need, including veterans and their families. On 24 January 2023, we announced that we will be publishing a new National Suicide Prevention Strategy this year.