Dr Emma Davies, medicolegal consultant at Medical Protection, highlights key considerations for GP locums on this complex issue.
According to the data from the Office of National Statistics in 2022, there were 5,642 suicides registered in England and Wales (10.7 deaths per 100,000 people)1. Most of us at some point will be affected by suicide; be it in our personal or professional lives. The death of a patient, friend, colleague or loved one will inevitably leave us asking “did I do enough, could I have stopped it?”
In 2020 Public Health England wrote a resource document for GP Practices to assist in local suicide prevention planning2. While suicide will never be fully prevented, this document outlines some key areas where risk reduction can help keep your patient population safer and I would recommend all healthcare practitioners review it.
