Steve Phillip, Founder and Director, The Jordan Legacy (CONFIRMED)

• Reflect and review progress against the national Suicide Prevention Strategy since its launch in 2023, highlighting where meaningful change has been achieved and where further action is still needed
• Explore how charities, the NHS, local authorities, employers and communities can work together to turn national ambition into effective local suicide prevention, with practical examples of partnership in action
• Share the latest evidence, emerging risks and groups disproportionately affected by suicide, and discuss how prevention efforts can better address inequality and reach those most at risk
• Set out the priorities for the next phase of suicide prevention, including the importance of sustained investment, early intervention, and a whole-society approach to reducing suicide and supporting people in crisis

Julie Bentley, CEO, Samaritans (invited)

• Explore the Government’s prevention-first approach to mental health policy, outlining the shift towards earlier intervention and community-based support so organisations can align local suicide prevention plans with national policy
• Understand the expansion of neighbourhood mental health centres and community services, including new walk-in support and crisis care, helping delegates identify opportunities to improve access before people reach crisis point
• Address health inequalities and the wider determinants of suicide risk, including housing, employment, poverty and social exclusion, enabling services to target prevention where it is needed most
• Examining what cross-government collaboration means in practice and what it means for local services

Alison McGovern MP, Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care (invited)

• How the NHS 10-Year Health Plan is reshaping community mental health care
• The role of Integrated Care Boards and neighbourhood health teams in delivering local suicide prevention plans
• Partnership working between NHS organisations, public health, primary care and the VCSE sector
• Examples of integrated, place-based approaches to prevention

Adele Owen, Greater Manchester Health and Care Policy Manager, NHS Greater Manchester (invited)

• Examine why explanations centred on stigma, awareness and men’s reluctance to seek help do not fully account for patterns of engagement
• Explore how masculine norms interact with men’s circumstances and the design and delivery of services
• Consider what gender-responsive support looks like across community, workplace and health settings
• Identify practical principles for reaching men earlier, particularly those poorly served by conventional mental health provision

Paul Galdas, Professor of Men’s Health, Department of Health Sciences, University of York (CONFIRMED)

• Explore the wider mental health landscape and the evidence on what works to prevent mental ill health, highlighting how early intervention, community support and population-level prevention can reduce suicide risk before crisis develops
• Understand how suicide prevention can be connected to broader mental health, public health and social policy, moving beyond a predominantly clinical or crisis-led response to prevention at population level
• Consider how leaders and systems can create healthier communities at scale, bringing together health, local government, education, employers and the voluntary sector around long-term prevention and improved population wellbeing

Andy Bell, Chief Executive, Centre for Mental Health (CONFIRMED)

• Strengthen pathways following self-harm presentations by applying the latest NHS guidance, enabling earlier intervention and more consistent support across healthcare settings
• Prevent repeated self-harm through timely follow-up and collaborative safety planning, helping services reduce future suicide risk and improve continuity of care after discharge
• Improve collaboration between emergency departments, primary care, mental health and community services, creating joined-up pathways that prevent people from falling through gaps in care
• Embed compassionate, person-centred approaches for people at increased risk of suicide, giving multidisciplinary teams practical tools to improve safety, engagement and long-term outcomes

Professor Keith Hawton, Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford (invited)

• Understand what frontline suicide prevention conversations can tell us about suicide risk, including the common experiences, unmet needs and barriers faced by people seeking support through helplines and digital services
• Hear what helps make a crisis conversation genuinely supportive, with practical insights into building trust, reducing distress and helping someone stay safe in the moment
• Look at how accessible support can reach people before they reach crisis, and the role digital services, helplines, and community support play in early intervention
• Take away practical ideas for strengthening suicide prevention across services, improving collaboration, continuity of care and making it less likely that people fall through the gaps

Wendy Robinson, Services Director, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) (invited)

• Explore how Mental Health Support Teams and Young Futures Hubs are strengthening early intervention in schools and communities before young people reach crisis point
• Learn how education, health, local authorities and the voluntary sector can work together to identify and support children and young people at risk of suicide
• Understand how digital lives, online safety and adverse childhood experiences influence young people’s mental health and suicide risk
• Develop joined-up pathways that improve access to timely support across education, health, social care and community services

Professor Eamon McCrory, Chief Executive, Anna Freud (invited)

Professor Kamaldeep Bhui CBE, Professor Of Psychiatry, University of Oxford (invited)

Engage in conversations with experts in suicide prevention as you discuss the main challenges you face in working in partnership with external organisations. This session will allow you to share your experiences and encourage cross sector collaboration to find solutions.

• Explore the growing role of fire and rescue, police, and ambulance services in suicide prevention, highlighting national leadership, early intervention, crisis response, and prevention across local systems
• Share practical approaches that help frontline responders make safe, compassionate decisions during suicide-related incidents, improving consistency, patient safety, and outcomes at the point of crisis
• Strengthen multi-agency collaboration before, during, and after suicide-related incidents, with a focus on coordinated prevention, postvention pathways, and information sharing across emergency services and health partners
• Examine how emergency services can better support the wellbeing and resilience of first responders exposed to suicide-related incidents, reducing the longer-term impact of traumatic callouts

David Crews, Station Commander, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, NFCC Lead – Suicide Prevention, National Fire Chiefs Council (CONFIRMED)

• Explore how economic inequality is experienced differently across populations, and how disadvantage, marginalisation and unequal access to resources can influence mental health
• Examine the relationship between economic adversity and suicide through an inequality and social justice lens, considering who is most affected, why vulnerability is unevenly distributed, and what the evidence tells us about these patterns
• Identify how suicide prevention can better address inequalities, considering whose voices, needs and experiences should shape research, policy and prevention practice

Professor Rochelle Burgess, Professor of Global Mental Health and Social Justice, Institute for Global Health, UCL (invited)

• Understand Ofcom’s approach to preventing online suicide and self-harm under the Online Safety Act, including the responsibilities of online platforms to protect users from harmful content
• Explore the opportunities and limitations of AI in prevention, examining how AI can support early intervention and crisis support while recognising its clinical, ethical and safety boundaries
• Discover how digital mental health tools and AI-enabled crisis support services can improve access to timely support while ensuring safe and responsible deployment
• Learn about ethical governance and responsible innovation, with practical insight into managing online risks, protecting vulnerable users and implementing AI safely

Dr Murtaza Shaikh, Principal – Online Hate, Terrorism and Suicide/Self Harm, Ofcom (invited)

Steve Phillip, Founder and Director, The Jordan Legacy (CONFIRMED)

Some of the issues explored in this programme may be difficult or personally relevant. If you have been affected by the subject matter, specialist organisations are available that may be able to provide information, advice and support. View support and advice. 

Please note that we are a professional conference and learning provider and are not a crisis or specialist support service.