National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group minutes: September 2024

Attendees and apologies

Rose Fitzpatrick CBE QPM, Chair
Louise Hunter, Who Cares? Scotland
Peter Kelly, Poverty Alliance
Catherine McWilliam, Institute of Directors
Prof Andrea Williamson, University of Glasgow

In Attendance
Prof Rory O’Connor, Chair of Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Academic Advisory Group (AAG)

Apologies
Dr Linda Findlay, Royal College of Psychiatrists Scotland
Dr Douglas Hutchison, Association of Directors of Education Scotland
Sheriff David Mackie, Scottish Association Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders (SACRO)
Brendan Rooney, Healthy n Happy Community Development Trust

Secretariat (not present for agenda item 3)
Morag Williamson, Scottish Government
Hilary Third, Scottish Government
Craig Wilson, Scottish Government 

Items and actions

Welcome

The Chair welcomed everyone to Atlantic Quay, Glasgow for the fifth meeting of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group (NSPAG) (“the Group”). The Group welcomed Ms Third who would be joining the Scottish Government’s Suicide Prevention Policy Team. Ms Third has been leading on parallel work around distress and self-harm for a number of years and would be taking up the Suicide Prevention Team Leader role in October 2024. The Group noted their thanks to her predecessor, Jane McAteer, for her contribution to the suicide prevention agenda over the past year.

The Chair thanked Prof O’Connor for chairing the Group’s meeting in June, and thanked Members for their kind messages following her close family bereavement.

It was noted that this would be Ms Fitzpatrick’s final meeting with the Group before she stood down as Chair. Recruitment to appoint a new Chair was underway with the appointment expected to be made by the end of October.

The Chair set out the purpose of the meeting, noting that there would be discussions around learning from the Group’s first year, working together as a Group going forward, and developing the Group’s workplan for the year ahead. It was intended that all this material would be provided to the new Chair to facilitate her/his taking up the role and early discussions with Members.

Apologies

Apologies were noted.

Minutes

The Chair noted that the minutes from the Group’s meeting in June had been circulated for comment and requested that any further comments be sent to the Secretariat to enable the Chair to sign them off for  publication. ACTION 5.1

NSPAG’s Annual Report - Reflections On Development & Recommendations

The Group’s first annual report had been published on 8 August 2024.

The Chair, Ms McWilliam, Dr Hutchison and Mr Rooney had met with Ms Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport and Cllr Kelly, COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson, on 27 August 2024 to discuss the report’s recommendations. As well as a constructive discussion on the annual report’s recommendations, there had been a short discussion about the importance of broadening the diversity of the Group’s membership at the earliest opportunity.

It was reported that Ms Todd and Cllr Kelly had expressed their appreciation of the work of Members throughout the year, which had resulted in a comprehensive annual report, and that they welcomed the Group’s advice and recommendations. Both the Scottish Government and COSLA remained fully committed to delivering the Creating Hope Together suicide prevention strategy, and welcomed the Group’s role in supporting this aim.

There was a discussion around the Group’s learning from the process of drafting of the first annual report. The following points were raised:

• Members had felt their views were represented in the annual report and had been pleased to see their contributions reflected in it. It was however noted that there had been a learning curve for the Group in understanding suicide prevention itself as well as the policy landscape in which the strategy sat. 
• It was suggested that, for future reports, consideration should continue to be given to how relevant and accessible the report would be for communities.  This included ensuring sufficient information was included about the work that the Scottish Government and COSLA were delivering on the ground to prevent suicide. 
• It was felt that the constructive advisor tone of the report was respectful and appropriate from the perspective of those with lived experience of the impacts of suicide, and should be carried into future reports.
• To aid the drafting of future annual reports, it would be helpful to systematically record the Group’s business, deliberations and contributions from Members throughout the year. To support this in practice, a standing agenda item for meetings should be introduced to review the Group’s cumulative business, deliberations and contributions – including the evidence and insights it had heard, as well as tracking progress against recommendations made in previous NSPAG annual reports. 
• The Group had felt well supported by the Suicide Prevention Scotland National Delivery Lead and received information and insights in a useful way. Developing closer connections with the Suicide Prevention Scotland Strategic Outcome Leads (SOLs) over the next year would allow the Group even more opportunities to provide strategic advice. It was highlighted that meeting the SOLs as a group had been a valuable experience, and it was suggested that more frequent engagement would be beneficial to building closer understanding of how the Group could continue to add value, as well as deepening relationships which would help build even more momentum across work to realise the suicide prevention strategy.
• Members agreed that clearer information on ownership of actions and timelines to deliver the strategy would allow Members to identify more effectively opportunities to provide advice throughout the year ahead. It was agreed that the headline reporting of progress to each NSPAG meeting in person by the National Delivery Lead, supported by a clear BRAG chart circulated with the meeting papers in advance, should be adopted for the year ahead.
• The Group would also expect to receive updates for each of its meetings on progress of action against each/all of its outstanding recommendations. 
• It was observed that Members of the Group had not been appointed as experts in suicide prevention, rather their role was to provide wider insights into the factors which could lead to suicide; providing extremely valuable advice and perspectives in shaping whole system change. One of the key ways members could support suicide prevention work in Scotland was to ensure it was actively considered through their respective networks and the wider programmes of work which they were engaged. Through this approach the base of engagement and action on suicide prevention would extend in reach and impact. It would however be important for the Group to feel empowered to advise and advocate for suicide prevention whilst recognising that others were directly responsible for delivering the Creating Hope Together strategy. Delivery would clearly continue to be led by the Scottish Government, COSLA and the National Delivery Lead.  

Finally, it was noted the Group’s annual reports would provide a cumulative assessment of progress in delivering the 10 year Creating Hope Together strategy. Over the coming years the Group would expect to see more evidence about the impact the strategy was making against its four specific outcomes, rather than a description of activity alone. This impact data would be necessary to enable the Group to fulfil its independent advice and assurance role.

NSPAG Reflections On Working Together As A Group 

Members reflected privately (in a closed session) on their individual experiences of working together as a Group, since the first meeting in May 2023. The Chair undertook to discuss these impressions and observations with the next Chair once she/he had been appointed.

Planning The Year Ahead (facilitated discussion)

The Group took part in a session to plan its business meetings over the coming year.  The Secretariat undertook to develop a draft workplan for 2024/25 to be shared with Members for comment [Action 5.2] before being made available to the new Chair in due course.

Any Other Business

Future Meetings

The Secretariat had issued meeting invites for 21 November and 5 February.
Members were asked to provide any suggestions for meeting venues to the Secretariat. Action 5.3

Suicide Statistics

The suicide statistics for 2023 had been published in August 2024 and showed an increase of 30 deaths on the previous year, with 792 people having tragically lost their lives to suicide in Scotland in 2023. There had been similar trends in England and Wales, and globally. Professor O’Connor highlighted that although society was emerging from the Covid pandemic and its lockdowns, the impacts of the post-pandemic cost of living crisis were clearly being felt, and the consequences for heightened suicide risk might well continue into future years.

Ms Fitzpatrick Standing Down as NSPAG Chair

The Group thanked Ms Fitzpatrick for her truly outstanding contribution to suicide prevention over the last six years; both in her role establishing and as Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) 2018-2023 and latterly as Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group (NSPAG). It was noted that she had brought exemplary compassion and leadership to these roles, and was instrumental in bringing together Members of both Groups and the much wider suicide prevention community across Scotland with shared purpose and values. Her contribution had made a tangible difference to Scotland’s efforts to reducing suicide and supporting anyone affected by suicide.

Ms Fitzpatrick thanked Members for their professional support and personal kindness and made it clear that she considered it a great honour to have been part of first the NSPLG and then the NSPAG over the last six years. She expressed her belief that the Advisory Group and individual Members were contributing directly to suicide prevention in Scotland by so actively advising and being critical friends to all those working hard to deliver Scotland’s suicide prevention strategy. She was confident that the work of the Group would continue to have legitimacy by keeping lived and living experience, academic evidence and practice insights at the heart of all its work, and that its next Chair would develop its potential to the next level. She also wished to put on record her continuing thanks for the excellent support provided by colleagues in both Groups’ Secretariats over the years, without which neither Group would have been able to work so effectively.

Ms Fitzpatrick expressed her gratitude to all those living with the risk or tragedy of suicide for their remarkable generosity and passion in the cause of saving others.  She wished all Members of the NSPAG, of Suicide Prevention Scotland, the Suicide Prevention Scotland Lived and Living Experience Panel, Youth Advisory Group and Academic Advisory Group, all suicide prevention leaders, policy makers and practitioners every success for the future in realising the vision of Creating Hope Together.