Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the National Institute for Health Research about commissioning research into how many people with terminal illnesses die as a result of suicide per year.
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR is not currently funding any specific research into how many people with terminal illnesses die as a result of suicide per year, but welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
The Office for National Statistics is unable to collect data on suicide where a terminally ill person has taken their own life, as information on the deceased’s terminal illness is not generally recorded