Information for service users and carers
Who we are
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide began at the University of Manchester in 1996. The Inquiry team includes psychiatrists and researchers that study mental health care services. We want to find out more about what works well and where things can go wrong in mental health care. Our steering group, which oversees the work, is chaired by Professor Sheila Hollins and includes service users and carers as well as health and social care professionals.
What we do
The Inquiry collects information about all cases of suicide and homicide in the United Kingdom. We use this information to make recommendations for how mental health services might be improved for all patients. Our aim is to lower the number of suicides and homicides by people receiving mental health care that happen in the future.
We work by grouping the names into mental health trust areas and send this information to our trust contacts. Our trust contacts check their records to see whether anyone on the list was a patient with them in the year before they completed suicide or before they carried out a homicide. If someone was a patient they send us the name of the person’s doctor and we send the doctor a questionnaire to gather more information about the patient. The questionnaire asks for information about the patient’s life generally, his or her medical history and treatment received.
The information that we receive about individual patients is kept in locked cabinets in locked offices and is never shared with anyone who does not work for the Inquiry. Our findings are based on the information gathered for all our patients grouped together. When we make public our findings no one person can be identified.
What difference have we made so far?
The Inquiry has published five major reports since 1996. Many of the findings and recommendations in the reports are now part of day to day patient care. Some of the changes that have taken place to improve patient care include:
- The removal or covering of items like hooks and handles in psychiatric hospital wards to reduce the possibility of patients using them to harm themselves
- A follow up call or visit within seven days of leaving hospital for all patients to check they are alright
- Better access to services for patients and their families at times of crisis
All our reports are available online from this website:http://www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/mentalhealth/research/suicide/prevention/nci/inquiry_reports
What to do if you have concerns about your own care
The Inquiry is a research project only. We do not have our own patient list and we are unable to investigate individual cases of suicide or homicide.
If you receive mental health services and are unhappy with your care, speak to your consultant or see your GP (General Practitioner) as soon as possible.
What to do if you have concerns about the care of someone else
If you are concerned about the care of someone else then we advise that you contact the Clinical or Medical Director of the hospital providing treatment and speak to him/her about your concerns.
Other people you can contact include:
The Care Quality Commission who may be able to make enquiries about individual cases: http://www.cqc.org.uk/
You can also write to the office of the National Director for Health and Criminal Justice, Professor Louis Appleby at:
carol.rayegan@manchester.ac.uk
Any comments?
If you have any comments about the Inquiry’s research or if you have had difficulty using our website please let us know. Click the Feedback link on the left hand side of the Inquiry home page and fill in the form.
