Every life lost to suicide is a life lost too soon.

A single death by suicide has a devastating impact on those closest to the individual, as well as wider reaching impacts on members of the community who are affected by the distressing news of such a death of someone they knew.

The Dear Life website has been developed to help people in Coventry and Warwickshire find mental health and suicide prevention information and advice for themselves or someone they are worried about.

Health and care organisations across Coventry and Warwickshire have worked together to develop this resource and continue to work in partnership to raise awareness and embed suicide prevention activity across the area.

The core organisations involved in maintaining this website are:

• Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
• Coventry City Council (Public Health)
• Warwickshire County Council (Public Health)

Together with many other organisations, services and people from the public, private and community and voluntary sectors, they form the Coventry and Warwickshire Suicide Prevention Partnership.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Suicide Prevention Partnership is made up of organisations and groups from across Coventry and Warwickshire who have a shared aim of reducing the number of deaths by suicide across the region. They work together to deliver suicide prevention activity that includes: 

• increasing awareness about suicide 
• understanding the reasons that might lead to suicide 
• supporting people affected by suicide 

Deaths by suicide have complex causes and are rarely due to a single event, but a culmination of factors that may lead to someone feeling hopeless and unable to change their circumstances. 

We are all potentially susceptible to suicidal thoughts, but in the past stigma around mental ill-health and suicide has contributed to a lack of discussion within the general population, preventing people from speaking up and seeking support when it is most needed. It is therefore important to normalise talking about mental health and to give individuals the knowledge, skills and confidence to talk about suicide and improve awareness of preventative approaches and the support available. 

It is estimated that 15-30 people are directly and severely impacted by a single death by suicide, and around 135 people affected by each death. This broad impact on communities from a single death highlights the need for a public health approach to preventing and responding to deaths by suicide. 

Our approach not only focusses on support for people at crisis point, but earlier action to reduce the risk factors that contribute to poor mental health and risk of suicide, and even earlier to promote positive wellbeing and coping strategies among population groups at higher risk of suicide. 

Our vision is that no one in Coventry and Warwickshire ever feels that suicide is their only option.

We are currently refreshing the existing suicide prevention strategies for Coventry and Warwickshire to create a new joint strategy outlining how we will work together across Coventry and Warwickshire to achieve the above vision. 

This is being developed with input from organisations and communities across both areas to reflect the shared ambitions for suicide prevention activity across the region. It is also important to us that people living and working in Coventry and Warwickshire are included in shaping this strategy. 

This is supported by evidence and insight from our Learning Panels, which enables us to share real time data and identify emerging trends to inform our ongoing activity. 

The ambitions and outcomes in the strategy are based on recommendations from the Coventry and Warwickshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), which involved hearing from residents across Coventry and Warwickshire in 2021. 

In addition, between 2018-2021 Coventry and Warwickshire received funding from NHS England to deliver a local suicide prevention programme which was overseen by the local suicide prevention partnerships. The activity, learning and feedback from this programme of work is also reflected in our future proposals. 

The programme of work delivered through the Coventry and Warwickshire Suicide Prevention Partnership is facilitated by the public health teams at Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council. The Partnership reports into the Health and Wellbeing Boards for both Coventry and Warwickshire who share the commitment to prevent suicide.

If you would like any further information about the work that we do please get in touch with us here.