The Impact of suicide in the UK









**THE SURVEY WILL NO LONGER BE RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS AFTER MIDNIGHT 31ST AUGUST 2018**

Thank you for your interest in this research. Please read the information below and follow the link at the end of the page to take this survey.

Participant Information Sheet

You are being invited to take part in a research study that aims to gain an insight into the experiences of people who are bereaved or have been affected by suicide. This study is being conducted by the Centre for Mental Health and Safety at the University of Manchester in collaboration with the Support after Suicide Partnership (SASP), a growing alliance of national organisations involved in offering support to those bereaved or affected by suicide. In order to do this, we need to conduct a large-scale study to identify the experiences of people bereaved or affected by suicide in the UK. Before you decide to take part it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Please ask if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information.

Thank you for reading this.

Who will conduct the research?

Dr Sharon McDonnell, Director of Suicide Bereavement UK and Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health and Safety, University of Manchester

Dr Isabelle Hunt and Dr Sandra Flynn, Research Fellows at the Centre for Mental Health and Safety, University of Manchester

Dr Sarah Bates, Support After Suicide Partnership

Shirley Smith, Founder of If U Care Share Foundation

Barry McGale, Suicide Prevention Consultant and Senior Trainer, Suicide Bereavement UK.

What are the aims of the research?

• to understand more about the impact a death by suicide may have on the lives of those who are bereaved or affected by the death

• to establish the support people bereaved or affected by suicide received, how the support was helpful, and where such support is lacking

• to examine evidence of the need for suicide bereavement support services.

Who can participate?

We would like as many people as possible who have been bereaved or affected by suicide to complete this survey. The only restrictions are that they must be aged 18 or over, live in the UK and perceive themselves as either bereaved or affected by suicide. For example, bereaved families, friends or colleagues of the person who died, front line staff (e.g. ambulance personnel, A&E staff, police, fire, air ambulance, lifeboat personnel), prison officers, train drivers, teachers, those who witness the death, those responsible for the care of the person who died or those caring for those bereaved by suicide, etc.

What would I be asked to do if I took part?

You will be asked to fill in either an anonymised online or paper survey, depending whether or not you have a computer, which will take approximately twenty minutes to complete. The survey will ask you about your experiences and will explore the support that you have received. Most of the survey consists of tick boxes, but some text boxes are provided if you wish to provide additional information. We will not request any data that could identify you.

You might find it too difficult to take part or might get upset answering some of the questions. If that is the case, please do not feel under pressure to complete the survey.

If you have access to a computer the following link will take you to the Support after Suicide Partnership website which provides resources for people bereaved or affected by suicide, including contact details of charities that provide support. Several of these charities provide helplines. www.supportaftersuicide.org.uk/

We have listed help line numbers and key resources at the end of the survey, for those who do not have access to a computer. If you know of someone who does not have access to a computer or who prefers to complete a paper copy of the survey you can download it here: www.supportaftersuicide.org.uk/research/download

Please return paper copies of the survey to:

Dr Sarah Bates

Project Manager

SASP

PO Box 68766

London

SE1P 4JZ

What happens to the data collected?

The research team will analyse the data. Dr Sharon McDonnell will manage the study and will take full responsibility for the management and storing of the data. The data will be stored at the University of Manchester.

How is confidentiality maintained?

This study does not ask for person identifiable information as we only ask people their age (not their date of birth). The data will be stored in locked cabinets in a secure room at the University of Manchester or on a secured server and will be destroyed after 5 years.

What happens if I do not want to take part or if I change my mind?

It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part as participation is this study is voluntary. Please note those who complete the survey are anonymous, so if you wish to withdraw your completed survey at a later date, the research team will be unable to identify your completed survey and exclude it from the study.

Will I be paid for participating in the research?

There is no compensation for participating.

What is the duration of the research?

Recruitment onto the study will take place from 27th September 2017 until 31st August 2018.

Where will the research be conducted?

Centre for Mental Health and Safety, Jean McFarlane Building, University of Manchester.

Will the outcomes of the research be published?

A report will be prepared and disseminated widely via the media. The general public will have access to the report via the Support after Suicide Partnership (SASP) and the Centre for Mental Health and Safety website. We will publish our findings in academic journals. We will inform policy makers of our findings to help influence policy and practice. We will also present our findings at national and international conferences.

Who has reviewed the research project?

The study has been reviewed by the University of Manchester Research Ethics Committee on the 18/04/2017 (ref: 2017-1818-2599)

Contact for further information

Dr Sharon McDonnell

Email: research@supportaftersuicide.org.uk

What to do if you wish to make a complaint

If there are any issues or complaints regarding this research that you would prefer not to discuss with members of the research team, please contact the Research Governance and Integrity Team by either writing to 'The Research Governance and Integrity Manager, Research Office, Christie Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL', or by emailing: Research.Complaints@manchester.ac.uk, or by telephoning 0161 275 7583 or 275 8093.

The Impact of suicide in the UK

Overview

Thank you very much for taking time to complete this survey. We hope that, through analysing the results, we will be able to understand more about the impact of suicide on peoples’ lives and improve the support that is available across the UK. The overall aims are:

• to understand more about the impact a death by suicide may have on the lives of those who are bereaved or affected by the death

• to establish the support people bereaved or affected by suicide received, how the support was helpful, and where such support is lacking

• to examine evidence of the need for suicide bereavement support services.

Who can complete it?

The survey is for adults aged 18 and over living in the UK only. It can be completed by anyone who considers themselves to be affected by suicide.

What do we mean by affected by suicide?

We use the term affected by suicide to cover:

(1) individuals who have been bereaved by suicide - this can include but is not in any way limited to: immediate, extended and adopted family, foster family, best friend, friends, close colleagues, school, college or university friend, teachers, an ex-partner, etc.

(2) individuals who do not feel personally bereaved by suicide but still feel they have been affected by the death - for example, if you knew a neighbour who has lost their partner, son or daughter, if you were the passer-by who witnessed the death or found the person, if you are front line staff who respond to an emergency (e.g. ambulance personnel, A&E staff, police, fire, air ambulance, lifeboat personnel), prison officers, train drivers, health professionals responsible for their care, and other people who may have had regular social contact with the person who died, such as shop keepers/hairdressers and other members of the local community.

Throughout this survey we will use the word “affected” by suicide as an overall term of the impact of suicide.

Is the survey anonymous?

Yes, all your comments and answers will be treated anonymously, you will not be asked for your name or contact details.

Who is carrying out the survey?

It is being carried out by the Centre for Mental Health and Safety at the University of Manchester in collaboration with the Support after Suicide Partnership, a growing alliance of national organisations involved in offering support to those bereaved or affected by suicide. Findings from the survey will be published on www.supportaftersuicide.org.uk and on the Centre for Mental Health and Safety’s website http://research.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/cmhs/ as well as in academic journals.

Completing the survey is taken as consent for the findings to appear (anonymously) in the research project.

Support available

We are aware that answering these questions and thinking about the death of someone close is very distressing and difficult. Please feel that you can stop at any time. We want you to know you are not alone, and if you would like some support, please use the Support after Suicide Partnership’s ‘local support’ function on the website.

Information about sources of support for those bereaved by suicide can also be found at: www.supportaftersuicide.org.uk. You can also download a copy of the booklet ‘Help is at Hand’ from this link. For those who are completing the paper version of the survey and do not have access to the internet, we have provided telephone numbers at the end of this survey, where you can order key resources, free of charge.

We are hoping to get as many people bereaved or affected by suicide in the UK to participate in this survey, so that we can obtain an insight into the difficulties they face and to identify their perceived needs. We would really appreciate it if you could tell anyone who may be interested of the link to the survey.

To take the survey, please click on the ‘SURVEY’ button below:

Thank you very much for your help in completing this survey.

The study is supported by the following organisations:

AMPARO/Listening Ear, British Transport Police, CALM, Child Bereavement UK, Childhood Bereavement Network, Cruse Bereavement Care, DrugFAM, Hector's House, If U Care Share Foundation, Life After Suicide (L.A.S), Maytree, Mind, NSPA, PAPYRUS - Prevention of Young Suicide, Pennine Care NHS Trust, Pete's Dragons, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Samaritans, Suicide Bereaved Network, Suicide Bereavement UK, Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS), Sussex Community Development Association, Suicide Prevention and Intervention Network (SPIN), The Alliance of Suicide Prevention Charities (TASC), The Compassionate Friends, The James Wentworth-Stanley Memorial Trust, The Laura Centre, The Matthew Elvidge Trust, Winston's Wish.