FOI ref: FOI/2022/4627
You said
I would like to know if you have any statistics of the method people are attempting to take their own life in 2022?
I would also like to know the statistics of individuals attempting to take their own life between 2016 and 2021 – but with the key information regarding their gender, age, and if they have a previous history of attempting to take their own life and/or using NHS mental health services?
I'd also like to know how many people have been triaged by the police to NHS mental health services through liaison and diversion between 2016 and 2021?
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
Our suicide data is driven by information taken from the death certificate. Therefore, we do not hold data relating to attempted suicides. NHS Digital would be better placed to answer this enquiry. They can be contacted via email at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk.
We produce provisional data on suicide registrations for England on a quarterly basis, with the latest update including deaths up to June 2022. The publication explains that most suicides require an inquest, where a coroner must investigate the cause of death. The amount of time taken to hold an inquest causes a lag between the date the death occurred and the date the death is registered.
We refer to this as a registration delay and registration delays for deaths caused by suicide tend to be five to six months on average. Because our data is based on death registrations, this delay means that most deaths recorded for 2022 so far would have occurred in 2021. More detailed information can be found in the publication.
Our next Suicide in England and Wales publication which contains method of suicide is scheduled for release in September 2023, which will include 2022 data.