The experiences of 'Suicide Prevention Champions' in the UK National Health Service (NHS): A qualitative investigation.

Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death globally with 17 people dying by suicide every day in the United Kingdom (UK). A growing body of research and governmental policies has been devoted to developing and implementing suicide prevention interventions, including training healthcare staff about suicide. However, more research is needed around staff experiences of the training and delivery of these interventions. We aimed to address this gap in the literature in the context of a voluntary 'Suicide Prevention Champion' role trialled in two National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in the UK. The role involves existing inpatient mental healthcare staff receiving specific Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and access to a Community of Practice composed of monthly meetings and email support. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 Champions. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the transcripts of the interviews. We identified seven inductive themes, organised into three deductive domains; 'Driving Factors and Barriers', 'Impacts of Training' and 'Experience of the Role'. The Champions generally spoke highly of the role and training. However, important developments were noted; including a desire for greater clarity around the role and a suggestion that the Champions could inform a more specific NHS training. These findings are hoped to contribute to the ongoing development of the Champion role within the NHS.