Safer services: conclusions from the report of the National Confidential Inquiry

Abstract

In May 1999, the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness published its first major report since it was reestablished at the University of Manchester (Appleby et al , 1999 a ). Entitled Safer Services , it presented findings from a two-year sample of suicides and an 18-month sample of homicides occurring in England and Wales, and on the basis of these put forward 31 recommendations for mental health services (Appleby, 1999 b ; Shaw et al , 1999). This article, modified from a chapter in Safer Services , discusses how services might deal with the risk of suicide and homicide or serious violence.