The Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) is delighted to announce its suicide awareness training has been officially endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing.
Originally launched in November 2017 aiming to give people the skills to spot the signs of someone struggling and approach difficult conversations with those with suicidal thinking, the ZSA training has been accessed by over 1.8 million people.
The free training has now been officially endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the world’s largest nursing union and professional body, and its 465,000 members.
“It’s fantastic news our training has been officially endorsed by the RCN and we hope all organisations employing nurses will make this part of their training programmes,” said Prof Joe Rafferty CBE, chairman and founder member of the ZSA.
“We hope it will provide support for their own mental health after a tough couple of years and give further understanding to others’ state of mind. By the very nature of their work, they are likely to encounter people that may have suicidal thoughts, so we’re sure the training will benefit their existing skills.”
RCN Professional Lead for Mental Health Stephen Jones said: “This resource is very valuable for more than just people in patient-facing roles. The signs of suicidal thinking can be hard to see but, with better awareness among the general public and others, lives could be saved.
“We recommend that more organisations consider using Zero Suicide Alliance’s training and resources which can make a difference to the health and wellbeing of so many.”
The ZSA now has three different modules of training, which have all been developed using the experience of those who have lived with suicide and clinical expertise. They offer Gateway training as an introduction (5-10 minutes), their Step Up training (5-10 minutes) provides information on social isolation and the main Suicide Awareness Training (under 30 minutes) provides the skills and confidence to approach someone with suicidal thoughts.
