North Central London Suicide Prevention Programme

Please note this page will discuss mental ill health, self-harm and suicide.

In North Central London, an average of 93 people die by suicide every year; each of these is a life lost and a community devastated. To address this, public health teams in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington, along with the NHS, have come together to form the NCL Suicide Prevention Partnership. Our goal is to reduce the suicide rate locally through population-based suicide prevention measures as well as programmes targeted to those at highest risk. Backed by ICB funding, the programme partnership is seeking to meet our goals by delivering the following:

  • Suicide prevention training for professionals working within North Central London
  • Suicide awareness raising campaigns to improve public awareness of mental health resources
  • Suicide prevention community grant funding for local VCSE organisations
  • Support for high-risk children and young people to reduce risk of suicide
  • Support for individuals who present to emergency departments with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviours
Suicide is often seen as a mental health issue, but only 1 in 4 people who take their life are in contact with mental health services before their death. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any opportunities for intervention; many people struggling with thoughts of suicide are facing other issues in their life that can lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts, including loneliness, domestic abuse, financial concerns and housing insecurity. Often, people will reach out for help for these issues, which creates an opportunity for compassionate professionals and volunteers to identify potential suicide risk and offer much-needed support.

That’s why we have created the North Central London Suicide Prevention Community. This will be a space for local organisations and services to connect with each other, share best practice and learn about how to best support their service users who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide. The community is open to any organisation or community group working in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and/or Islington. Members do not need to be working within the mental health sector, and we welcome anyone who is keen to learn about how they can be more suicide aware.

As part of the community, you will have access to:

  • Monthly newsletters which contain updates on local and national suicide prevention activity
  • Learning forums tailored to themes that members of the community would like to learn more about
  • Updates on future activities, such as training and funding opportunities

 

The best way to get involved is to sign up to the NCL Suicide Prevention Community mailing list or emailing ncl.suicideprevention@barnet.gov.uk for more information.

We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Grassroots Suicide Prevention to deliver suicide prevention training to professionals working in frontline roles in North Central London.

Given that only 1 in 4 people are in contact with mental health services before their deaths, but many others are receiving support from a variety of other services, we have worked with Grassroots to tailor their standard training offers to best suit the needs of services supporting cohorts of people at an increased risk of suicide.

Training is available for professionals working in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and/or Islington, in either

  • Local authority frontline services
  • Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations

There are two training offers available, with limited spaces on each, so please do book on to training ASAP:

  • Caring Connections for Financial, Housing, Substance Misuse and Criminal Justice Services – 23 Sept 2025
  • Caring Connections for Autism, LGBTQIA+ and racialised communities services – 27 Nov 2025
  • Caring Connections for Physical health, bereavement and loneliness services – 28 Jan 2026

Please note:

  • We kindly ask that no more than 3 people per service sign up to each training course, to ensure equity of access across North Central London. Please discuss internally within your service which members of staff would most benefit from this training.
  • Whilst each course has a specialist focus, most of the content is standard across each session – therefore please do not book onto multiple courses.
  • Both Real Talk and Caring Connections courses are suitable for any frontline professional working with people who may be at risk of suicide. Real Talk is a shorter course focusing on introducing people to suicide prevention, while Caring Connections is an intermediate course that goes into greater detail. Please consider which would be more appropriate for you to attend.

90% of people with mental health issues receive treatment solely within primary care, so this workforce are vital in keeping people safe from suicide.

As part of the NCL Suicide Prevention Programme, we are working with 4 Mental Health to deliver Suicide Awareness and Response for Primary Care training across North Central London. The training is specifically designed to equip primary care staff with the knowledge and tools to navigate a conversation about suicidal thoughts within a ten-minute appointment. This is done by teaching colleagues how to use the Suicide Assessment Framework e-Tool (SAFETool).

Training will be delivered through two e-learning modules that can be completed in your own time and at your own pace, each taking less than two hours to complete.

Alongside building confidence in supporting vulnerable patients and reducing the risk of suicide, this training can be a highly valuable and practical action that staff can take in responding to the death of a patient by suicide.

Training will roll out in three waves over 2025/2026, with enrolment forms being shared here and on the NCL GP website from July 2025.

Note: This training is for GPs and clinical staff with a formal mental health ‘assessment role’ as part of their job role and within a contract (paid or honorary), as they will be trained how to use SAFETool clinically. Please see above for alternative training offers.

 Resource  Availability  Type of Support  Description
Stay Alive app National Self-help mental health resource The Stay Alive app is a suicide prevention app created by Grassroots Suicide Prevention. It can be used by individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts, or by those worried about someone else.
NHS Crisis Line London Crisis helpline Call 111 and select the mental health option to contact a trained mental health professional who can listen and connect you to the support that you need.
Samaritans National Crisis helpline Call 116 123 for a free, confidential listening service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Papyrus National Crisis helpline Call 0800 068 4141 or text 88247 to contact the Hopeline, a dedicated suicide prevention for young people aged under 35.

Professionals who have been exposed to suicide can access debrief support through this phone number.
SHOUT National Crisis Helpline Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 to access free, confidential text support from trained volunteers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Campaign Against Living Miserably National Crisis helpline Call 0800 58 58 58 from 5pm-midnight every day, for free, confidential, anonymous support.
Zero Suicide Alliance Training National Training Free, online, foundational training for anyone who may know somebody struggling with thoughts of suicide. This is suitable for professionals  and members of the public with no prior knowledge of suicide prevention, equipping them with the ability to recognise when someone is struggling with suicidal thoughts, as well as how to respond. There are several training courses aimed at supporting different audiences, including autistic people, students, and people in prison.
The Listening Place London In-person mental health support Free face-to-face support with trained volunteers for adults struggling with thoughts of suicide
James’ Place  London In-person mental health support Free face-to-face therapy to help men recover from suicidal crisis
Body and Soul – YANA London Self-harm and attempted suicide follow-up support 20 week dialectical therapy programme for young people (aged 16-30) who have previously attempted suicide
Andy’s Man Club Barnet, Enfield, Camden Peer support Free peer support groups for men in Euston, Barnet and Ponder’s End.
Coping After Suicide Guidance for Organisations National Suicide bereavement  A guide, designed for voluntary and faith organisations and local businesses which aims to support colleagues after someone, such as an employee or service user, may have died by suicide
Amparo Support After Suicide Service NCL Suicide bereavement Emotional and practical support for those bereaved or impacted by suicide.
Help is at Hand National Suicide bereavement Resource for people who have been bereaved by the suicide of a loved one.
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide  National Suicide bereavement 2nd Wednesday of every month from 7:00pm until 8:45pm. Telephone: 07934 976 253. Email: haringey@uksobs.org
First Hand National Suicide bereavement A resource for people who are affected by the suicide of someone they did not know. This may be through witnessing a suicide, or responding to an incident as part of your work.
 
Suicide Prevention Community Grant Fund

Applications for this fund are now closed. Thank you to all organisations who have applied. All applicants should be informed of the outcome of their application by the end of July.