Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group

Our principal work is to plan, develop and buy health services on behalf of the local people.

We are responsible for buying:

– Planned hospital care

– Urgent and emergency care, including the 111 service

– Community health services

– Mental health and learning disabilities

– Rehabilitation care

– Maternity, children’s and family services

– NHS continuing healthcare

– Primary Care

Our key providers include:

– Dorset Health Care

– Dorset County Hospital

– Poole General Hospital

– Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals

– South West Ambulance Service

– Salisbury Hospital

– Southampton University Hospital

– Yeovil Hospital

There are many other service providers from the charitable, voluntary and private sectors that allow patients a wider choice of service location and type.

How does your organisation contribute to preventing suicide and supporting those affected by it?

We are responsible for rolling out the national suicide prevention strategy in conjunction with Public Health Dorset, covering the 6 key themes of the strategy:

– To reduce the risk of suicide in key high-risk groups

– To tailor approaches to improve mental health in specific groups

– To reduce access to the means of suicide

– To provide better information and support to those bereaved or affected by suicide (post vention support)

– To support the media in delivering sensitive approaches to suicide and suicidal behaviour

– To support research, data collection and monitoring

– To reducing rates of self-harm as a key indicator of suicide risk

– To ensure a zero suicide ambition for mental health inpatient

We have agreed to incorporate into the above two local themes of effective leadership/partnership and exploring digital/innovative opportunities.

We hold multi-agency meetings covering suicide prevention every 3 months.  The meetings are split into part 1 steering/business group and part 2 partnership meetings.  The business meetings take forward the statutory organisation requirements linked to the crisis concordat, the national suicide prevention strategy and the NHS long term plan.

The partnership group is a wider network of partners and stakeholders that support the development and delivery of the Dorset plan whilst sharing knowledge and expertise across Dorset.  Each partnership event is themed and the themes are identified by the partnership group.

What are your current priorities?

– Developing a communications and media plan of action

– Developing real time data surveillance

– Developing bereavement support package

– Developing a multi agency pan-Dorset suicide prevention plan

What challenges are you currently facing?

– STP/ICS organisation changes – delay in the work moving forward and developing multi agency working (although starting to take shape now)

– Funding – awaiting for transformation monies to take forward comms & media and bereavement support work