Stigma Statistics

Stigma Statistics, is a London based social venture, we enable suicide prevention through data and technology. Our Suicide Tracking, Analysis & Reporting (STAR) platform allows for the collation, sharing, analysis and reporting on suicide data. Ultimately, facilitating real time suicide surveillance.

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

Stigma Statistics was founded by Matthew Steans, after witnessing a suicide and losing a friend to suicide shortly after. He was determined to do something about the pain and suffering associated to suicide. He decided the best way to do this was through data and technology.

Stigma Statistics provide a platform to enable suicide prevention for the following key benefits for all services:

1. Timely support for the bereaved

2. Unify services both locally & nationally

3. Share information between services and one source of truth

4. Full visibility of the issue will lead to a reduction in global suicides

5 Monitoring of hot spots and clusters

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What are your current priorities?

Stigma Statistics has four key pillars: Education, Awareness, Analytics and Understanding.

1. Educating the suicide prevention community of the benefit of using technology and data for suicide prevention.

2. Continuing to develop functionality to enable suicide prevention, including real time escalation plans, care pathways and lessons learned.

3. Creating partnerships with technology providers to bring more insights into the platform, including monitoring of high risk locations for suicidal behaviour.

4. Working with researchers to detail impact technology and data can have on suicide prevention.

We are committed to building functionality and services that will continue to enable suicide prevention and welcome any feedback from the suicide prevention community.

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What challenges are you currently facing?

Our pilot highlighted three areas that are critical for the success of a Real Time

Suicide Surveillance platform. These areas are:

1. Coroner Approval – to enable suspected suicide information to be shared with the Group, the senior coroner designates the suicide prevention group as interested persons under section 47 of the Coroners & Justice Act 2009.

2. Information Governance – General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires the appropriate Information Governance documentation and approvals. Stigma Statistics has developed appropriate Information Governance templates for use by the suicide prevention group.

3. Next of Kin consent for Bereavement Support – fundamental to be able to provide bereavement support, next of kin consent. This is usually obtained by the Police Officer attending the sudden death and is detailed on the sudden death notification. Stigma Statistics STAR functionality also allows for secondary referrals.

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