Suicide support packs distributed to hospitals
Every Life MattersA suicide prevention charity has created support packs to be handed out in hospitals in Cumbria.
Cumberland has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, according to the most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Charity Every Life Matters said it had worked with mothers and NHS clinicians to publish a bespoke booklet offering advice and information after a suicide crisis, and showing where urgent and ongoing help can be accessed locally.
Mum Kerry, who contributed to the booklet after her son tried to take his own life, said the fear coming home from hospital was "overwhelming". "No parent should ever feel they have to carry that weight alone," she said.
During 2022-24, there were 137 suicides in Cumberland among people aged 10 years or over, according to the ONS.
This equates to a rate of 19.4 per 100,000, which is "significantly higher" than the England average of 10.9 per 100,000, said project lead Claire Humphreys.
The charity said the support booklets - which offer practical advice after a suicidal crisis or serious self-harm - were designed to help parents and carers, as well as those who have tried to take their own lives.
The booklets - the first of their kind - are being distributed to the North West Ambulance Service, as well as hospitals and crisis teams.
"As a parent, you stand there watching professionals rush around your child, doing everything they can, yet you feel completely shut out," said Kerry.
"You're desperate to help, desperate to understand what happens next - but mostly you feel powerless."
Kerry said when she and her son came home the "fear was overwhelming".
She said she was "checking on him constantly, terrified that if I looked away for even a moment, I might lose him".
"I felt isolated, ashamed, judged - like somehow I had failed him.".
While she accepts those thoughts were "not rational", they were "real and heavy", she said.
"These crisis packs offer something I wish I'd had that night: clear guidance, compassionate support, and reassurance that you are not alone - even in the darkest moments."
If you've been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
