The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Suicide Aware GP Practice Scheme was developed in response to a clear need identified by people with lived experience of suicide and local primary care professionals. Suicide remains a significant public health concern, and local audit data showed that one in three people who died by suicide had visited their GP in the three months before their death. Primary care is therefore a critical setting for both suicide prevention and postvention support.
Co-produced with people with lived experience of suicidal ideation and bereavement by suicide, alongside GPs, public health teams, voluntary sector partners and NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, the framework aims to improve the experience and support offered to anyone affected by suicide. It is the first scheme of its kind to provide a comprehensive package of resources for primary care, including bespoke training for clinical and non-clinical staff, practical checklists, guidance, and postvention support resources. The framework is built around six key themes identified through extensive engagement: compassionate care, access to services, continuity of care, active listening to family and friends, staff training, and postvention support.
Since its launch, 17 GP practices across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have formally signed up to the scheme, with resources freely available to all primary care staff.
The next phase focuses on supporting wider adoption and evaluating impact. Hampshire Voices (an organisation of people with living experience of suicide), primary care colleagues, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and local authority partners are co-designing an evaluation framework to measure improvements in patient experience and outcomes across the six pillars of the framework. This includes auditing implementation, assessing staff training and measuring patient-defined outcomes such as personalised care planning, continuity of care and effective postvention support.
As interest grows nationally, the partnership is also actively sharing learning to support other systems wishing to implement a similar approach. The framework has already attracted interest from several Integrated Care Boards across England.
Testimonial
"What makes this initiative genuinely trailblazing is not simply what it does, but how it was developed. Patients, service users, carers and people with lived experience of bereavement by suicide were meaningfully involved in shaping the framework from the outset. This whole-practice approach has the potential to improve patient experience, reduce barriers to seeking help, and encourage more open conversations about suicide. Hampshire is demonstrating that primary care can be a genuine frontline of suicide prevention."
