A support package totalling £1.24 million is being used to strengthen local suicide-prevention work and to provide practical and emotional support to friends and family who have lost a loved one to suicide.
The latest wave of funding from NHS England and NHS Improvement comes as events are held across the South West on World Suicide Prevention Day.
Its significance is reflected in new data showing that the South West has the second-highest suicide rate among men in the nine English regions, with 19.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2019 against 16.7 for England as a whole.
By contrast, the suicide rate among females in the South West was little over a quarter of that level, with 4.9 per 100,00 in 2019 against 5.2 for England as a whole.
The difference between male and female rates is broadly similar nationwide.
One of the main beneficiaries of existing funding in the South West has been the Hope Project, which covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
The project provides support to men aged 30 to 64 who are experiencing psychological distress, in debt or financial difficulties, or dealing with housing or employment issues, as well as those who have recently self-harmed and are not in touch with other mental health services.
Over the last 12 months, the project has supported more than 250 men, significantly more than the original target of 180.
In Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire, the funding will be used for targeted work with employers, given the likelihood of COVID-related job losses, assertive work with individuals to make sure they get the help they need (linked to the Hope Project), training for primary care staff and a review of the way people in crisis are helped.
