Sarah Lees (Consultant in Public Health) presented the Suicide Audit and Prevention Update to the Board.

The following key points were highlighted to Members:

(a)   outlined the background to the development of the Concordat, its aims and ambitions;

(b)   the Prevention Concordat aimed to encourage and enable cross-sector action to promote public mental health approaches by promoting good mental health and wellbeing;

(c)   the type of resources that have been developed to support the concordat and the 5 areas for collaborative action;

(d)   the consensus statement developed to enable organisations to sign up to commit to work together through national and local action to prevent mental health problems and promote good mental health;

(e)   opportunity for the Health and Wellbeing Board to sign the consensus statement in support of the Prevention Concordat;

(f)    the existing local mechanisms through which the Prevention Concordat can be delivered and summarised some of the existing work that contributed to the aims and ambition of the concordat.

Members agreed to –

1. to sign the Prevention Concordat consensus statement to set a clear direction to the local health and social care system and the constituent parts that all should work towards a tangible increase in the promotion of mental health and wellbeing and the prevention of mental illness.

2. the Public Health team to continue to provide system leadership for the promotion of mental health and wellbeing and the prevention of mental illness.

3. confirm that the existing multi-agency groups and networks should be the basis for taking forward the Prevention Concordat.

4. ask that Public Health oversee the development of a local strategy and action plan for increasing work to promote mental health and wellbeing and prevent mental illness across the system, building on the good work already in place.

5. receive an update on progress in 12 months’ time.