Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson recently joined with the Churchill Fellowship at their Parliamentary event to unite with leading campaigners on suicide prevention to discuss a new suicide prevention strategy, speaking at their launch event in Speaker’s House.
The report, entitled A Whole Society Blueprint for Suicide Prevention, explores how better mental health support and suicide prevention can be embedded across society in the UK, including supporting young people and the medical profession, with lessons from the approaches of countries around the world. That strategy can be read in full at the following link: https://www.churchillfellowship.org/news-views/news/launch-of-a-whole-society-blueprint-for-suicide-prevention/ .
As he discussed in his speech, mental health challenges are very close to the veterinary and farming worlds with animal disease outbreaks such as Foot and Mouth Disease. He also discussed his work with the 3 Dads Walking, Andy Airey, Tim Owen and Mike Palmer, who tragically lost their daughters to suicide, which inspired their campaign to see age-appropriate suicide prevention awareness included in the school Relationships, Sex and Health Education Curriculum.
Following consistent action from Dr Hudson, including securing meetings for the 3 Dads with Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and then Keir Starmer, their campaign was successful, and the Department for Education confirmed that changes to the curriculum would be made to make suicide prevention mandatory last year.
As an MP, Dr Hudson instigated a Rural Mental Health Inquiry as part of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee in the previous Parliament, which made recommendations about how factors affecting rural mental health like isolation and shock events like flooding and animal disease outbreaks can be tackled.
He continues to champion this vital issue as an MP and Shadow DEFRA Minister, championing the need for continued improvements for mental health and suicide prevention.
Following the event, Dr Hudson said:
“I was greatly honoured to host and speak at the launch of the Churchill Fellowship’s new report on suicide prevention.”
“It was so good to meet with some of the brilliant Churchill Fellows involved in this report and programme.”
“The Churchill Fellowship Scheme is a wonderful living legacy of the great Sir Winston Churchill, MP for Epping 1924-1945. It is humbling to represent that seat now, named as Epping Forest.”
Photo 1: Dr Neil Hudson MP for Epping Forest with Nina Smith, Churchill Fellow.
