{"id":5480,"date":"2024-10-28T10:12:32","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T10:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/?page_id=5480"},"modified":"2026-04-29T09:23:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:23:35","slug":"health-professional","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/resources\/implementing-a-personalised-approach-to-risk\/health-professional\/","title":{"rendered":"The role of health professionals in assessing suicide risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; fullwidth=&#8221;on&#8221; next_background_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; global_module=&#8221;322&#8243;][et_pb_fullwidth_menu global_parent=&#8221;322&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.106&#8243; menu_id=&#8221;7&#8243; submenu_direction=&#8221;downwards&#8221; fullwidth_menu=&#8221;off&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; module_class=&#8221;main-navigation&#8221; \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; 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fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;on&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;off&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;on&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; prev_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; next_background_color=&#8221;#1d1d1d&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243;][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=&#8221;Left Nav Sidebar&#8221; area=&#8221;et_pb_widget_area_1&#8243; orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; remove_border=&#8221;on&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; module_id=&#8221;left-nav-menu&#8221; show_border=&#8221;off&#8221; \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; specialty_columns=&#8221;2&#8243;][et_pb_row_inner admin_label=&#8221;Row&#8221;][et_pb_column_inner type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; saved_specialty_column_type=&#8221;2_3&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text:The role of health professionals in assessing suicide risk &#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;left&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h1>The role of health professionals in assessing suicide risk\u00a0<i><\/i><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5481 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/10\/report-300x300.png\" alt=\"Report\" width=\"54\" height=\"54\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/10\/report-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/10\/report-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/10\/report-250x250.png 250w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/10\/report-350x350.png 350w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2024\/10\/report.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 54px) 100vw, 54px\" \/>Assessing the risk of repeat self-harm and suicide is a clinical intervention with many factors to be considered. These papers review the differing approaches to suicide risk assessment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This editorial reviews the 2022 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline for self-harm, and includes new recommendations for primary care and how they can be implemented in practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3399%2Fbjgp23X732297\">Improving the management of self-harm in primary care<\/a> (British Journal of General Practice, 2023)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each health professional has an important role in suicide prevention, whether by sensitively assessing or treating self-harm, or advocating for the implementation of suicide prevention measures. Attempting to predict suicide is unlikely to be helpful.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lancet\/article\/PIIS0140-6736(22)00173-8\/abstract\">Suicide and self-harm<\/a> (The Lancet, 2022)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>People who did not report previous self-harm were less likely to be referred to psychiatric services, though they had similar rates of repeat self-harm. This emphasises the need for careful assessment of every self-harm presentation to emergency departments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0165032719312534\">Exploring characteristics and risk of repetition in people who fail to report previous hospital presentations for self-harm: a case-control study using data from The Manchester Self-Harm Project<\/a>\u202f(Journal of Affective Disorders, 2019)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When self-harm assessments by nurses and psychiatrists were compared, there was strong agreement on factors associated with high risk assessment. This supports the provision of nurse-led assessment services.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, inpatient admission was influenced primarily by assessor type (such as nurses or psychiatrists) rather than patient characteristics. This has important implications for equity of care and may reflect professional differences in referral practices.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1365-2648.2010.05484.x\">Risk assessment following self-harm: Comparison of mental health nurses and psychiatrists<\/a> (Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2011)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Management of self-harm may be improved by shifting the views of professionals, involving users in staff training, and changing service provision \u2013 perhaps moving from risk assessment to personalised needs assessment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry\/article\/management-of-selfharm-in-adults-which-way-now\/4E239556F1DA8F5513EED61FBD43BB20\">Management of self-harm in adults: which way now?<\/a> (British Journal of Psychiatry, 2005)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Training for emergency doctors should emphasise the importance of considering both immediate and background risk factors in assessment of suicide risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/euro-emergencymed\/abstract\/2003\/12000\/factors_that_influence_emergency_department.8.aspx\">Factors that influence emergency department doctors&#8217; assessment of suicide risk in deliberate self-harm patients<\/a> (European Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2003)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Psychiatrists should have knowledge of different perspectives of risk to deal more effectively with risks that are an inherent part of clinical practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/advances-in-psychiatric-treatment\/article\/evaluating-risks\/6790167214F67D8DA22A96094FAAA8DB\">Evaluating risks<\/a> (Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 2000)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; \/][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: NIHR text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7830\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"356\" height=\"86\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310.png 1280w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310-300x73.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310-768x186.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310-1024x248.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310-150x36.png 150w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310-250x61.png 250w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310-350x85.png 350w, https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/04\/NIHR-2026_1280x310-1080x262.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 356px) 100vw, 356px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><i><span>This work was completed as part of the\u00a0<a title=\"https:\/\/www.rcpsych.ac.uk\/improving-care\/nccmh\/culture-of-care-programme\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rcpsych.ac.uk\/improving-care\/nccmh\/culture-of-care-programme\">Culture of Care Programme<\/a>. The work was supported by\u00a0the\u00a0<a title=\"https:\/\/www.psrc-gm.nihr.ac.uk\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psrc-gm.nihr.ac.uk\/\">National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (GM PSRC)<\/a>\u00a0(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. \u00a0The 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.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Connect Title&#8221; module_class=&#8221;footer-section&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.90&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#1d1d1d&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px|&#8221; prev_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; global_module=&#8221;380&#8243;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; parallax_method_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;off&#8221; module_id=&#8221;footer-row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.89&#8243; 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These papers review the differing approaches to suicide risk assessment.\u00a0\u00a0 This editorial reviews the 2022 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline for self-harm, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":5435,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5480","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5480"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7870,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5480\/revisions\/7870"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/ncish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}