Samaritans in Luton say investment could help keep local branches open

The charity Samaritans is urging the government to reconsider investment into suicide prevention during the Autumn Statement.

Samaritans assured that renewing suicide prevention funding in England would cost less than a loaf of bread per person.

Under the NHS Long Term Plan 2019, each local area in England received dedicated money for suicide prevention for a period of three years.

"The funding for the suicide prevention allows organisations like the local suicide prevention groups to exist..."

However Samaritans said most areas have already come to the end of their funding and it will finish for all by spring.

Luton Samaritans branch director and volunteer, Larry Redmond, said: "Being able to fulfil their strategy to reducing suicide will be much more difficult to achieve if the funding isn't there to do it."

"The funding for the suicide prevention allows organisations like the local suicide prevention groups to exist, so if the funding was not continued then there would be a question of the strategy."

"...stopping it now will mean that local suicide prevention won't be able to continue."

Although the charity wants the Government to reconsider investment, the idea is to get them to continue investing the same amount of money in line with their strategy, rather than reducing investment, which would negatively affect the charity.

Mr Redmond said: "Suicide prevention's been funded by the Government previously, and stopping it now will mean that local suicide prevention won't be able to continue."

"Whilst we've had similar rates of suicide over the last twenty years, the strategy says they want to reduce that."

Mr Redmond assured continued investment, even if it is small, will allow the charity to keep local branches active and support those in need throughout the country.

For more information about the charity Samaritans, you can visit their website.

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