Equip teams with the skills to spot warning signs and save lives, urges Ellie MacDonald  

ONS figures released recently show that suicide rates are the highest they’ve been since 1999. We lost a staggering 6,069 people to suicide in the UK alone in 2023 and this has a detrimental impact not only on people’s lives but economically, costing employers billions of pounds each year in employment productivity losses. 

Next time something feels off – a colleague doesn’t seem themselves – take the time to speak to them

I was personally affected when I was just four years old. Following a split with my mum, my dad went to visit a potential new flat. He came back to the family home and took his own life later that day. 

I grew up with so much confusion. Nobody spoke about my dad’s death. One day we were laughing in the garden, playing his favourite records and dancing together, then he just disappeared. 

This had a huge impact on me. 

It has taken more than 30 years of self-development and counselling to understand the significant impact my dad’s suicide had on me – exacerbated by the fact that nobody dared talk about his death like they would an accident or illness. 

Suicide was the elephant in the room and it shocks me that this hasn’t changed much at all. 

The numbers speak volumes 

Thirty-five years on from my dad’s death, suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35 and men under 50 in the UK. 

Around 1,500 people die in road accidents each year. We’re constantly reminded of the dangers by road warning signs, as well as safety adverts on TV and radio. We also have seatbelts, driving technology, and roadworks to improve traffic flow. 

Yet we continue to lose more than 6,000 people a year to suicide – where are the safety notices for that? 

This is a huge cause for concern, but there is hope. 

We know that most people thinking of suicide do not want to die. They want the pain to stop. Many people give off signs to show they’re struggling; so if we only knew what signs to look for and how to respond, suicide has to be one of the most preventable deaths. 

And it’s this hope that I now have and want to bring to others to help save lives. 

From pain to purpose 

I’ve gone from running a PR business over the past nine years to channelling the pain I’ve carried with me for so long into something positive.  

I recently formed a Community Interest Company, HelloHope, to deliver vital yet simple life-saving mental health and suicide prevention training. 

I’ve spent the past couple of years researching and retraining as a mental health and suicide prevention trainer, undertaking as much training as possible to take the best and bring it to businesses, communities and schools. 

A cost-effective solution 

Not only is this an ethical thing for businesses to invest in, but it is also a cost-effective solution to a detrimental problem. 

In 2022, the cost of suicide to the economy was £9.5bn across the UK, and an average cost of at least £1.46m for every life lost to suicide. Employment productivity losses account for one-third of suicide costs. In 2022 that means employers lost £2.48bn in England alone.  

Prevention training courses range from free to a few hundred pounds.  

Hope through action 

My hope is that business leaders join me in becoming responsible employers and kind citizens – people who actively look out for each other and are equipped with simple yet vital life-saving skills to be able to help someone in need. 

We all have a responsibility to protect each other, let others know they matter and help when needed. 

So next time something feels off – a colleague, loved one or even a stranger doesn’t seem themselves or quite right – take the time to speak to them, actively listen to what they have to say and get them to a place of safety. 

You might just save a life. 

HelloHope has produced A Guide of Hope with advice including suicide prevention in the workplace.  

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Ellie MacDonald is Founder, CEO and Lead Trainer of HelloHope