title: Utility of local suicide data for informing local and national suicide prevention strategies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The practice of 'suicide audit' refers to the systematic collection of local data on suicides in order to learn lessons and inform suicide prevention plans. Little is known about the utility of this activity. The aim of this study was to ascertain from Directors of Public Health in England how they were conducting suicide audit and what resources they were investing in it; how the findings were being used, and how the process might be improved.
  
  
  METHODS
  E-mail survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was sent to all 153 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England prior to their dissolution in 2013. Simple descriptive statistics were performed in an Excel database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses were received from 49% of PCTs, of which 83% were conducting a regular audit of deaths by suicide. Many had worked hard to overcome procedural obstacles and were investing huge amounts of time and effort in collecting data, but it is not clear that the findings were being translated effectively into action. With few exceptions, PCTs were unable to demonstrate that the findings of local audits had influenced their suicide prevention plans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the light of fresh calls for the practice of suicide audit to be made mandatory in England, these results are worrying. The study suggests that there is a pressing need for practical guidance on how the findings of local suicide audits can be put to use, and proposes a framework within which such guidance could be developed.
authors.affiliation: University of Exeter Medical School, College House, St Luke's Campus, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK. Electronic address: c.v.owens@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.affiliation: Public Health Cornwall, Cornwall Council, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D054976:Clinical Governance; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D034742:Electronic Mail; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006285:Health Planning / Q000592:standards; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D009313:National Health Programs; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D015980:Public Health Practice / Q000592:standards; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
keywords: Local action plans; Suicide Audit Groups; Suicide audit; Suicide prevention