is a Professor of Journalism & Health Communication at BU. She has spent the last 18 years researching and writing about suicide and mental illness in both the UK and USA. Her recent research focuses on suicide in NHS workplaces, and their effect on the workforce.聽
Ann鈥檚 research has led to practical recommendations for the NHS to protect the wellbeing of its staff, ensuring her work has an ongoing positive impact on the lives of healthcare workers and their loved ones.聽聽
Professor Ann Luce鈥淢y area of research is difficult and sensitive, but it鈥檚 one we can鈥檛 ignore.聽When we look at suicide rates in this country, we see that some people are at higher risk simply due to their jobs 鈥� doctors and female nurses die by suicide between two and a half and four times more often that the general population. We all saw during the COVID-19 pandemic how stressful working in healthcare can be, so it鈥檚 understandable this can come at a cost to those people鈥檚 own mental health.
On top of this, exposure to suicide increases the risk to those who鈥檝e been bereaved by it 鈥� not just family members, but colleagues too. Yet we know that in many NHS Trusts there鈥檚 no obligation to have the processes and procedures in place aimed at supporting colleagues after a suicide and preventing more from taking place.聽In many ways, it鈥檚 understandable how this happens 鈥� when topics are difficult or sensitive, it can seem easier to ignore them.
But we felt this has to change. So, our research took us into an NHS Trust to speak directly to staff about what happens after a colleague鈥檚 suicide. And of course, those aren鈥檛 easy or pleasant or conversations to have. But we felt that unless we understand what happens, and how people feel about it, we鈥檒l never be able to turn the tide.
If you find problems, create solutions
What we found was concerning 鈥� after a suicide, those in charge were not communicating clearly to staff, and were not providing good enough support to those who鈥檇 been affected. But we knew that pointing out failings and problems wouldn鈥檛 be enough, nor would it be helpful. To make change happen, our focus was to create resources that NHS Trusts can actually use to design step-by-step plans to follow if these difficult situations arise.
We created one model to help managers communicate to staff in a compassionate way, ensuring that staff are informed in a sensitive and timely way. It also covers guidance for things like using social media and WhatsApp, recognising that colleagues might use these platforms to share news. The other model offers best practice guidance with five stages for support that should be provided after a suicide, including staff training programmes.
Our hopes for the future
I was delighted to see to the House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee inquiry into 鈥楶rogress in Improving NHS Mental Health Services鈥� referenced in its final report. Sharing our research with Parliament, as well as Government, is often a key step for us 鈥� these Committees can be hugely influential in recommending Government鈥檚 next moves in a policy area.
Next up, we will be working with the Derby & Derbyshire Integrated Care Board. Its leaders have asked us to help ensure their suicide prevention and communication procedures are the best they can be. It鈥檚 fantastic to be called in to help directly; we鈥檒l be able to have valuable conversations about what they鈥檙e planning and hopefully get feedback on how it鈥檚 going.聽
On a wider level, we鈥檝e had great success with NHS England, which is using the research as supporting evidence for its National Suicide Prevention Toolkit for England, which will be implemented across all NHS Trusts in the country. It鈥檚 been shared with all Mental Health Chief Nurses, Mental Health Nurse Academics, Mental Health Nurse Consultants, the NHS England Suicide Prevention Special Interest Group and the Royal College of Psychiatry.聽
Our work has also fed into the Department for Health & Social Care鈥檚 broader Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, which has recognised higher rates of suicide among some occupations 鈥� and agrees with us that it鈥檚 imperative that employers to take targeted action to reduce them. It鈥檚 in their interests to protect NHS staff as best they can; we rely on our healthcare workers to look after us, so they should be looked after too.鈥�