Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what implications the findings of the research study, Do English mental health services know whether they followed NICE treatment recommendations for depression with patients who killed themselves, published in the scientific journal Psychology and Psychotherapy in July 2017, have on his policy; and what steps he plans to take as a result of its conclusions and recommendations of that report.

We have noted this research study and we expect mental health providers to implement guidelines for treatment issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). We published the updated National Suicide Prevention Strategy in January which set out how we are strengthening delivery of its aims, including reducing suicide in high risk groups such a people in contact with mental health services. We are investing an additional £25 million to implement the recommendations in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health to reduce suicides. The Department is working with NHS England and Public Health England to agree the priorities for this funding.

NICE is developing a suicide prevention guideline for community and custodial settings to be published next year which will set out further measures for organisations, including health care providers, to prevent suicide.