Staff at Cura Financial Services have undertaken suicide prevention training, as part of a campaign by local NHS and council organisations.
The #TalkSuicide campaign encourages people to complete a FREE 20-minute suicide prevention training programme, which is available at talksuicide.co.uk. Businesses are encouraged to offer the training to their staff and can access support and resources at talksuicide.co.uk/employers.
People who complete the training are taught how to:
- Identify the signs of when someone might be suffering from suicidal thoughts.
- Feel comfortable speaking out about suicide in a supportive manner.
- Signpost anyone suffering to the correct services and support.
The campaign is led by the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership – whose member organisations include Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group.
Cura Financial Services, based in Filey, specialises in helping people with medical conditions, high-risk occupations, extensive hazardous travel, and sports, to get good value insurance.
Since 2012, Cura have been dedicated to helping as many individuals as possible gain access to insurance, providing an empathetic customer sales journey, to help secure vital insurance policies for clients and their loved ones. They have built a reputation as industry experts in finding protection insurance for people who are seen to be high risk, quirky or non-standard.
Cura became ambassadors for the #TalkSuicide campaign earlier this year when they encouraged their staff to complete the suicide prevention training.
Kathryn Knowles, Managing Director at Cura Financial Services said “For me this training is essential, for both my work and in my home life too. You never know if you may come across a situation where this training could save someone’s life. I am proud that our team has taken a part in this.”
Kellie Whetton, Administrations Manager at Cura Financial Services said “Mental health and suicide prevention has always been something close to my heart. I have dealt with depression and anxiety throughout my life and so have family and close friends, sometimes it is so easy to just say ‘I’m Okay’ rather than actually letting someone know you’re struggling. I still think there is so much stigma around mental health and believe that if we all knew a little more about prevention, we could save someone’s life whether it be a family member, a friend or a complete stranger! With the line of work we are in, we deal with so many vulnerable clients and almost daily speak to someone who currently or has previously dealt with some form of mental health. This is why I thought it was so important that everyone in our office has this knowledge to be able to spot and help prevent anyone that they may feel needs that valuable support. I have recently lost a friend to suicide and know it’s devastating effects. Everyone needs to #TalkSuicide – it may just be the lifeline someone so desperately needs!”
Protection Insurance Adviser, Nick Davis, who took the training said “The main thing I took away from it was to be direct when talking to someone who might potentially be in a situation of thinking about suicide, rather than “skirting around the issue” – I didn’t know that before the training. I’m not sure how confident I would be when faced with that situation, but hopefully my instincts would take over – and the training that we have done. Ultimately I’m glad I did the training.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2019 – which amounts to around one death by suicide every 90 minutes. A survey carried out by mental health charity Mind indicates that one in six employees has experienced depression, anxiety or unmanageable stress in the workplace.
Jo Kent, Suicide Prevention Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “I want to thank the staff at Cura Financial Services who took 20 minutes out of their day to complete the suicide prevention training. In Humber, Coast and Vale we are working collaboratively with a number of organisations, including local businesses, to prevent suicides from happening in our communities.
“The suicide prevention training is integral to this work as those who complete the training can make a real difference in their communities, simply by being better placed to identify those people who might be suffering from suicidal thoughts, knowing what to say to them in these circumstances, and signposting them to the most appropriate services.”
Are you an employer wanting to offer suicide prevention training to your staff? Request your FREE training pack at talksuicide.co.uk/employers.
