T0375 Suicide Prevention Risk Management Tool Embedment

It is estimated that there are around 50 deaths by suicide on the Strategic Road Network each year with even a larger number of suicide attempts.

In 2017 National Highways launched its Suicide Prevention Strategy recognising suicide prevention as a road safety issue, with the vision that 'no one will attempt to take their own life on the network'.

In 2019 we updated our suicide prevention toolkit, which supports our strategy in three distinct areas - prevention, crisis intervention and support after suicide.

A large focus of the toolkit has been to respond to known locations where suicide attempts, and suspected suicides have taken place. However, we want to do more to think about the risk of suicide much earlier within the planning and design of the network.

Building on the work we have undertaken in 2021/22 to understand suicide risk at structures, this commission will provide the capability (through guidance, standards, and training) for National Highways, and it's supply chain, to apply suicide prevention risk management methodology consistently in scheme design and delivery.