The current pandemic and its impact on people’s mental health reinforces the need for substantial and sustained support in the community to ensure that there is a system where no one, including those at risk of suicide are able to access the care they need.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to expand the Suicide Prevention Programme to the North East London area.

A collaboration of NHS providers, Local Authority Public Health teams, and services and partners in the voluntary and community sector are currently forming a service offer.

- Who: We’re looking for up to 20 people to take part in a two online focus groups. We hope to engage as diverse a range of people as possible and particularly welcome people from LGBTQIA+ and BAME communities and those who identify as having lived experience of mental ill-health.

- Why: to get your views on the new Suicide Prevention service offer and to gather feedback on a new suicide prevention app currently in development

- What’s in scope:

We’ll detail our new service and resources and tools we plan to develop and get your views and to ask what you would like to see included.

The practicalities:

- When: We’ll be running two virtual focus groups, with 20 participants on each:

• Tuesday 26th January from 5-6pm

• Friday 29th January from 5-6pm

- How long for: 1 hour

- Deadline to sign up: Monday 25th January 2021.

What happens when you sign up:

You’ll be contacted to confirm if you have secured a place on the focus group. Once this has been confirmed, you will be sent the Zoom invite and link with further instructions.

Criteria:

- You live and/or work in one of the following boroughs: Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Waltham Forest and Havering

- Access to Zoom to take part in the focus group session.

- We especially welcome people with lived experience of mental ill health and/or who have experience of using mental health services in North East London

As a thank you for taking part, everyone taking part in the focus group will receive a £10 Marks and Spencer voucher.

An email will be sent within 21 days of each focus group with instructions on how to redeem your voucher.