Implementing a personalised approach to risk
We are supporting mental health organisations to implement a personalised approach to suicide risk assessment. This is part of NHS England’s Culture Change Improvement Programme.
We will be:
- Providing expert advice to support mental health organisations to move away from using risk assessment scales and tools, and towards a personalised approach to risk.
- Bringing together evidence and guidance specific to suicide risk assessment and management.
- Promoting and sharing learning to help staff working in mental health services to understand the benefits of personalising risk assessment.
Useful videos
Year 2 National Launch Event
Watch the recording of our Year 2 National Launch Event. NCISH are now supporting an additional 50 mental health organisations to move towards a more personalised approach to risk.
Personalised approaches to risk in mental health in-patient settings: Learning network event update
A brief update to learning networks on the personalised approach to risk element of the Culture of Care programme.
The NICE self-harm guidelines, aftercare and intervention
NICE self-harm guidelines and what they say about risk assessment.
Suicide risk assessment: moving towards a personalised approach
Dr Leah Quinlivan presents the evidence around risk assessment, the limitations of stratified risk assessment, and alternative approaches to suicide risk assessment and management.
Personalised approaches to risk in mental health in-patient settings
Limitations of stratified risk assessment, and alternative approaches to suicide risk assessment and management. See 07:22 to 31:02 of the video.
Suicide risk assessment: moving towards a personalised approach
Learn about suicide risk assessment and why we should move towards a comprehensive, personalised approach to assessment and management.
A personalised approach to risk
Why NCISH is supporting mental health organisations as part of the Culture of Care programme to move away from risk categorisation and risk scoring.
Examples of good practice: adopting a personalised approach to risk
You can download infographics and watch presentations from mental health organisations who have implemented or are moving towards a personalised approach to risk.
The infographics summarise work within mental health organisations to adopt a personalised approach to risk: why action was undertaken, what changes were made and what the outcomes were.
Learning events
Our learning events include contributions from:
- People with lived experience of being assessed for suicide risk.
- Experts in neurodiversity, learning disability, racial equity, trauma and quality improvement who are helping to deliver the Culture of Care programme.
- Organisations that have adopted a personalised approach to suicide risk assessment.
Recordings and resources for each learning event can be found below:
- 22 October 2024 – Carer involvement in self-harm and suicide prevention
- 17 December 2024 – Menstrual health, premenstrual dysmorphic disorder: self-harm and suicide prevention
- 11 February 2025 – The integrated motivational–volitional model of suicidal behaviour
- 8 April 2025 – Safer care, deconstructing the diagnosis of ‘personality disorder’, and considerations for assessment
- 10 June 2025 – Safety plans for self-harm and suicide
- 22 October 2025 – Racial equity, self-harm, and suicide prevention
- 10 November 2025 – Observation, self-harm, and suicide risk: the importance of emotional and psychological safety
- 29 January 2026 – Domestic and sexual violence, self-harm, and suicide
- 27 March 2026 – Risk assessment, past, present, and future: Ensuring equity, advocacy, and cultural change in risk assessment for self-harm and suicide
Workshops
The aim of the workshops is to share learning and experiences across all organisations on the personalised approach to risk programme. The recording, slides and agenda for each workshop can be found below.
- 29 July 2025 – Year 1 and Year 2 shared learning
- 9 December 2025 – Emotional co-regulation and relational care, self-harm, suicide and assessments
- 12 January 2026 – Coroners, the Care Quality Commission, and suicide prevention
- 17 February 2026 – Whole organisation personalised approach to risk transformation, pilot sites and change ideas in action
Evidence and guidance around personalised risk assessment
- Clinical guidelines on risk assessment
- NCISH evidence on suicide risk assessment in UK mental health services
- Risk assessment scales, categories and tools should not be used to predict suicide risk
- The role of health professionals in assessing suicide risk
- The importance of psychosocial assessment following self-harm
- Prompt aftercare to psychological therapies following self-harm
- Cost-effectiveness of psychosocial assessments
Other evidence and perspectives on risk assessment
Many colleagues are engaged in wider work across the NHS with related online resources.
This NHS Futures webpage, for example, has a library of resources with information related to risk assessment, safety planning and the Staying Safe from Suicide guidance.
This work was completed as part of the Culture of Care Programme. The work was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (GM PSRC) (Grant Reference Number NIHR204295). Leah Quinlivan is fully funded by the NIHR GM PSRC, Pauline Rivart was part funded by the NIHR GM PSRC, and Professor Nav Kapur is part funded by the NIHR GM PSRC. The views expressed on this webpage are those of the authors and not necessarily those of NICE, NIHR, NHS, or the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
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