Content Warning: These documents discuss suicide and data and statistics about people who died by suicide

For further information on suicide prevention and details for support, visit: https://suicidepreventionwestyorkshire.co.uk/

Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention continues to be a high priority in Wakefield District. Wakefield has the second highest rate of suicide in West Yorkshire (2024), and a rate considerably higher than the national one. This is partly because of an unusually high number of deaths in 2019 which affected the three-year rolling average rate.

In recent years, there is evidence of the rate beginning to fall, but there is still considerable distance to go. It is also of concern that national suicide figures are beginning to show some evidence of increase, which may be reflected in Wakefield in the future.

The Wakefield Suicide Audit 2019–21 and the Wakefield Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024-2029 should be read alongside each other. The Audit informs the action plan, providing a detailed picture of the current rates of suicide in Wakefield District and the factors which affected people who took their own lives during the audit period (2019-22).

Suicide Audit 2019-21

The Wakefield Suicide Audit describes what we know about people who died by suicide from the Wakefield District between 2019 and 2021.

Information in the report is presented as charts and percentages but every case reviewed describes the life of a person with friends, family, and colleagues. The reasons behind every death by suicide are complex and individual. The Audit helped to understand factors they had in common. This knowledge has helped to develop the Suicide Prevention Action Plan and by doing so, prevent future tragedies. 

Wakefield Suicide Audit 2019-21

Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024-2029

The Suicide Prevention Action Plan uses insight from the Suicide Audit to describe the groups of people at highest risk and to set out an additional programme of actions over the next five years. The Action Plan will be reviewed annually by the Multi-Agency Strategic Partnership Group.

The actions in the plan were generated through collaborative discussions with key stakeholders based on insights and intelligence, on what is within our level of influence, and what is realistic given the capacity and resource available.

Wakefield Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024-2029