Citation

Gerada C. BMJ 2019; 366: l5231.

Affiliation

Hurley Group, London, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bmj.l5231

PMID

31455600

Abstract

... Suicide prevention means tackling the pain in the whole system, not just in individuals. Systemic change won’t come about just through compulsory mindfulness, yoga, or suicide prevention training (although these might help in bringing people together), nor indeed through creating metrics for “kindness” or “compassion.” What we need is to tackle the policies that go to the heart of the cause of distress—bullying, complaints, a culture of shaming, workload, targets, and inspection.

We know what to do. Stop the name, blame, and shame culture that’s now institutionalised within the NHS; create spaces for staff to come together, to learn and reflect together in their teams—not in sterile spaces online but in real, protected places; and maybe create, at board level, a lead role solely to tackle the wellbeing of all staff in an organisation.

Let’s really put into practice efforts to make zero suicide a reality for those who care for us all ...

Language: en