The North East and North Cumbria Suicide Prevention Network is a regional partnership of organisations and individuals, collaborating across different agencies and communities, to help enhance and support all suicide prevention activity across the region. They are working to ensure everything possible is done to get support and information to help people stay safe, and to manage their mental health and wellbeing during this incredibly difficult and stressful time.

The network is working across the NHS, social care and other front-line services to link up with local charities and community resilience groups to make sure we can coordinate our efforts and get support and information to people who need it as efficiently and effectively as possible. As part of their varied approach to this they have launched a new Suicide Prevention Network website, covering the whole North East and North Cumbria area.

The website provides a new community resource for people seeking help and advice about suicide and mental wellbeing, guidance for those who have sadly been bereaved by suicide, and signposting to a library of professional resources for those working in suicide prevention. The online presence is supported by social media accounts, sharing key messages and making new connections on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

To enable the network to reach those vulnerable members of the public who may not have access to online support, they have commissioned Every Life Matters Cumbria to produce a detailed printed booklet. The booklet has been produced with contributions from a wide group of Network members including people with lived experience, senior clinicians and the national NCISH team. It contains both self-help information and links for mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak, including signposting for urgent support and suicide prevention. This will be available across the region with distribution following a phased approach, initially targeting vulnerable groups.