Ambulance callouts to suicide and self-harm incidents up by fifth in a year

Emergency workers must have a national standard of training in how to deal with suicidal people, a charity has urged after new data showed a sharp rise in such callouts to ambulance services in England.

The number of ambulance responses to suicide attempts and self-harm incidents increased by more than a fifth in a year, according to a Freedom of Information request by the Samaritans.

The charity said there is currently no required training on suicide prevention for those working in the police, fire and rescue or ambulance services – or consistent wellbeing support to ensure their own mental health is looked after – despite a rise in this kind of emergency callout.

There were 182,659 incidents of self-harm and suicide responded to in 2024 by eight of the 11 ambulance services in England which responded to the FOI request.

This was up from 150,516 in 2023 – a rise of 21%.

The Samaritans said the Government must set a standard of suicide prevention training and wellbeing support for all emergency workers.

Elliot Colburn, public affairs and campaigns manager at Samaritans, said: “Emergency service workers are attending rising suicide-related call outs without always having the specific training and support that would better prepare them for these challenging situations – a national problem that demands a national solution.

“Overstretched emergency services are doing their best but not all have the resource to proactively prioritise suicide prevention training for their workers. As this is unfortunately becoming a more frequent part of the job, the Government has a duty to take action and stop failing those on the front line and those in crisis by missing opportunities to save lives.”

Data was not included for West Midlands, South Central or East of England ambulance services.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The NHS is committed to making sure that all healthcare professionals receive the necessary mental health training to meet the current and future needs of patients.

“Employers in the other emergency services should make sure that their staff receive the appropriate training needed in order to carry out their duties effectively.

“Through our 10-year health plan, this government is committed to reducing suicide rates and taking decisive action to boost mental health support across the country.

“We are transforming services with an extra £688 million, hiring 8,500 additional mental health workers, delivering more talking therapies and providing better access to support through the NHS App.“