Quality statement 3: Media reporting | Suicide prevention | Quality standards

Quality statement

Multi-agency suicide prevention partnerships have a local media plan that identifies how they will encourage journalists and editors to follow best practice when reporting on suicide and suicidal behaviour.

Rationale

Irresponsible reporting of suicide and suicidal behaviour may have harmful effects, including potentially increasing the risk of suicide. By promoting best practice, partnerships can encourage responsible reporting, which can help prevent suicide clusters and avoid further distress being caused to those bereaved or affected by suicide.

Quality measures

The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.

Structure

a) Evidence that multi-agency suicide prevention partnerships have a local media plan that identifies how they will encourage best practice in reporting on suicide and suicidal behaviour.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by partnership organisations, for example, a partnership media plan.

b) Evidence that multi-agency suicide prevention partnerships have a named lead for the local media plan.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by partnership organisations, for example, description of partnership roles and responsibilities.

c) Evidence that multi-agency suicide prevention partnerships work with other organisations such as the Samaritans to give feedback to local media journalists and editors about reporting on suicide and suicidal behaviour.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by partnership organisations, for example, a feedback log. This may include information on feedback given by other organisations such as the Samaritans.

Outcome

a) Number of local media reports of suicide or suicidal behaviour that do not meet best practice criteria.

Data source: No routinely collected national data for this measure has been identified. Data can be collected from information recorded locally by partnership organisations, for example, monitoring records.

b) Suicide rate.

Data source: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' Suicide Prevention Profile includes data on the rate of suicide in clinical commissioning groups and sustainability and transformation partnerships for different population groups (based on Office for National Statistics source data).

What the quality statement means for different audiences

Multi-agency suicide prevention partnerships in the community develop a plan for liaising with local media organisations that encourages a positive relationship and promotes best practice when reporting on suicide and suicidal behaviour. Partnerships identify a lead to coordinate the local media plan. Partnerships work with organisations such as the Samaritans to provide feedback to editors and journalists if a report is not consistent with best practice guidelines.

Multi-agency suicide prevention partnerships in residential custodial and detention settings liaise with local media through the Ministry of Justice, if relevant, and encourage Ministry of Justice press officers to follow best practice when reporting on suicide and suicidal behaviour.

Local media journalists and editors work with the local suicide prevention partnership and other organisations such as the Samaritans to increase awareness of best practice and improve reporting standards.

Source guidance

Preventing suicide in community and custodial settings. NICE guideline NG105 (2018), recommendations 1.10.1, 1.10.2 and 1.10.4

Definitions of terms used in this quality statement

Best practice when reporting on suicide and suicidal behaviour

This includes:

using sensitive language that is not stigmatising or in any other way distressing to people who have been affected
reducing speculative reporting
avoiding presenting detail on methods
providing stories of hope and recovery including signposting to support.

Refer to: the World Health Organization's Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals; the Samaritans' Media guidelines for reporting suicide; OFCOM's Broadcasting code; and the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) [editors' code of practice]. [NICE's guideline on preventing suicide in community and custodial settings, recommendations 1.10.2 and expert opinion]