NEWS


Emotive suicide prevention video aimed at construction workers and their families


With almost 500 construction workers taking their own lives every year in the UK and Ireland, a wordless, emotive video was released as a free resource to highlight the issue and provide guidance for anybody affected, ahead of Friday 10 September, which was World Suicide Prevention Day this year.


Film-makers, AKT Productions, worked with Ambanja Films to create the hard- hitting film, which depicts a man ‘on the edge’ and thinking of taking his life. Major contractor, BAM, provided a construction site in Whitechapel, London as the location, and the project is supported by the Lighthouse Club charity – said to be the only such organisation to provide emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families. The result is an emotionally arresting film called


‘On the Edge’, that aims to enable and encourage those affected to find a way to talk about what they are feeling. ‘On the Edge’ is free ‘for anyone’ to use across the construction sector, and more widely. BAM points out that research has established that almost half of UK tradespeople experience mental health


Improving the lives of autistic people


Improving the lives of autistic people is the focus of new multi-million pound strategy launched by the government in late July, which will run until 2026. Backed by nearly £75 million in the


first year, the aim is to speed diagnosis and improve support and care for autistic people. The Department of Health & Social Care says that through the new strategy, ‘steps will be taken to improve diagnosis, which is crucial to help people get the support they need, and improve society’s understanding of autism’. The strategy will support autistic children and adults through better access to education, more help to get into work, preventing avoidable admissions to healthcare settings, and training for prison staff to better support prisoners with complex needs. Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid (pictured), said: “This new


strategy will reduce diagnosis waiting times for children and adults, and improve community support for autistic people.” Of the approximately 700,000 autistic people in the UK, the DHSC says ‘a large number experience health inequalities during their lives.’ The life expectancy gap for autistic people is approximately 16 years on average, compared with the general population, and almost 80% of autistic adults experience mental health problems during their lifetime. The £74.88 million to be given as part of the strategy’s first year includes: l £40 m through the NHS Long Term Plan.


l investing £25 m into building the capacity and capability of 7-day specialist


multidisciplinary and crisis


problems due to work, while stress, anxiety, and depression, account for a fifth of all work-related illness. BAM Construction director, Ewen Hunter, who approached AKT, said: “It was just a ‘good timing’ moment, because AKT had the skillset, ideas, and same desire to raise this powerful but sensitive subject, so we were more than happy to help them develop the script and provide the film location. “Although the film and subject are sensitive and distressing, our industry has one of the highest death rates, so to be able to be involved in creating this film matters a great deal to many people. Thousands of people in our workforce alone will be viewing it. and I know it will prompt some very valuable conversations. It may even save lives.” The video can be played at: https://vimeo.com/597358738


services supporting autistic people and those with a learning disability.


l investing £15 m in keyworker pilots and early-adopter sites to support children with the most complex needs in inpatient mental health settings, and those at risk of being admitted to them.


l £31 m through the Mental Health Recovery Action Plan to tackle inequalities and build the right support in the community.


l £600,000 to fund training for staff


in early-years settings, schools, and colleges, to improve the experience of autistic children in education, and prepare them for adulthood.


l £600,000 for the extension of the early-identification programme developed in Bradford.


l £180,000 for the ‘Understanding autism’ campaign.


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THE NETWORK | OCTOBER 2021


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