The Bereaved Voices Project

Why are we doing this project?

Autistic people are more likely to die by suicide than people who are not autistic and report poor experience of receiving care from the NHS when experiencing mental health or suicidal crisis.  The Lampard Inquiry will investigate over 2000 deaths in psychiatric inpatient care in Essex but is not specifically mandated to consider the role of autism.  Thus, the current study aims to understand risk factors and gaps in service that contributed to the deaths of mental health patients in Essex and whether these differed significantly between those with a formal diagnosis of autism or who had possible undiagnosed autism. 

What are we going to do?

We are co-designing this study with Melanie Leahy and Julia Hopper of #matthewscampaign.  We will draw on the principles of psychological to undertake a survey, review coroner reports and undertake a semi-structured interview with close contacts of those who died by suicide or self-inflicted injury whilst under the care of the NHS in Essex.  We will also ask about how future deaths can be avoided.

What impact will this have?

Findings will contribute to the limited body of knowledge available to describe how unique risk factors and gaps in services contribute to death by suicide amongst autistic people.  This evidence will improve the safety and experience of psychiatric care for autistic and possibly autistic people to prevent future deaths.