UOK Brighton & Hove webinar marks World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 with expert-led sessions

On 10 September, to mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2025, UOK Brighton & Hove hosted a webinar exploring suicide prevention across diverse communities and settings.

Chaired by Richard Tandoh, Expert by Experience at Rethink Mental Illness, the event brought together speakers from local and national organisations to share insights, practical strategies, and toolkits for support.

The programme included four focused sessions:

• Psychosocial Support & Safety Planning – Rethink Mental Illness (Lourdes Colclough, Wendy Robinson, Gemma Besant) showed how safety planning is most effective when co-produced with individuals, focusing on simple, ongoing conversations rather than forms or tick boxes. The team highlighted the value of linking community-based support with clinical services and how staff are supported to hold difficult conversations.
  
• Neurodiversity & Suicide Prevention – Grassroots Suicide Prevention (Alex Harvey) highlighted the disproportionately high risk of suicide among autistic people and those with ADHD, not because of their neurodivergence itself but due to unmet needs and systemic barriers. The session explored practical adjustments such as clear, direct communication, sensory-aware environments, and the importance of tools like the Grassroots Suicide Prevention’s recently launched Neurodiversity Hub and the enhanced Stay Alive app.
  
• Suicide in Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Communities (GRT) – Friends, Families and Travellers (James O’Neill) shed light on the stark inequalities faced by GRT communities, including life expectancy gaps and suicide rates several times higher than the general population. The discussion emphasised how social exclusion, discrimination, and lack of culturally informed support contribute to risk, and offered recommendations for more inclusive and accessible services.
  
• Suicide Prevention in the Prison Service – Rethink Mental Illness (Natasha Sinclair, Bethany Wilson) focused on the higher prevalence of suicide and self-harm in prisons compared to the general population. The session explored differences between community and prison risk management, and shared plans to develop co-produced safety plans with prisoners, improve staff training, and strengthen information-sharing between services.

As the lead provider of UOK Brighton & Hove, Southdown is proud to support this collaborative work to raise awareness and strengthen local suicide prevention.

You can access the full set of resources and toolkits from the event here: https://www.uok.org.uk/news/item/world-suicide-prevention-day-webinar-2025-resources-and-toolkits/

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, these national helplines provide free, confidential support:

• Samaritans – Call 116 123 (free, open 24/7, 365 days).
• NHS 111 (option 2) – For urgent mental health support, available 24/7.
• CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) – Call 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight, 365 days) or use webchat via their website.
• SHOUT – Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, open 24/7).
• HOPELINE247 (Papyrus) – For under 35s, or if you’re worried about a young person. Call 0800 068 4141, text 88247, or email pat@papyrus-uk.org (open 24/7).
• Mind Infoline – Call 0300 102 1234 (open 9am–6pm, weekdays).