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Hertfordshire suicide audit
The suicide audit aims to give a view of deaths by suicide within Hertfordshire compared to the rest of the UK. This information can be used to inform the suicide prevention strategy and planned actions. The most recent suicide audit for Hertfordshire is now available in the following link: Suicide Audit 2021 - 2023
Please note
- This suicide audit for Hertfordshire is the fourth to include three years of data
- It provides an overview of deaths in Hertfordshire given a coroner’s conclusion of suicides at inquests held between 1st of January 2021 and the 31st of December 2023.
- The audit uses information from files held by the coroner service and has been carried out to a robust and repeatable methodology introduced in 2017.
- 230 deaths are included in the audit, with most deaths occurring in 2022 (36.5%), and 2021 (29.1%).
- 99 coroners inquests had a conclusion of suicide in 2023, 87 in 2022, and 44 in 2021. Due to the Coroners Court closing for parts of 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer inquests took place, accounting for the lower numbers in these years. This should not be interpreted as a reduction in the number of suicides but rather is reflective of the lower number of inquests occurring in 2020 and 2021.
- The 2020 - 22 age standardised suicide rate in Hertfordshire is statistically significantly lower than the rate for England [1]. Whilst there has been no significant change in the rate for Hertfordshire over the last ten years, the rate had been increasing from 2011-13 to 2018-20. Since 2018-20, the rate has been decreasing [1].
Queries may be directed to: SuicidePreventionHerts@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Other data
The latest suicide data for the UK.
The Suicide Prevention Profile helps develop understanding at a local level and support an intelligence driven approach to suicide prevention.