In recent years, many areas in England have established “real-time surveillance” (RTS) systems of suspected suicide deaths, collecting data from police and coronial systems soon after a death has occurred. The need for real-time, rapid information about suicide rates became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a time of potentially harmful media speculation about suicide, when registration delays (averaging 5-6 months) inherent in official statistics following coroner’s inquest were additionally impacted by social restrictions.
During the pandemic, we combined data from RTS systems of suspected suicide deaths in England covering a population of around 13 million to report suicide figures between January 2020 and October 2020. We found showed that suicide rates in England remained broadly stable during this time, despite evidence of increased distress. These figures were the first to report on suicide in England during the pandemic; the finding of no overall change in suicide rates was later corroborated by Official Statistics.
To further evaluate the efficacy of RTS systems to accurately reflect national suicide rates, we collated data from RTS systems to the end of December 2021. We found an absolute fall of 10% in suicide rates in 2020; this fall was driven by lower numbers in men. Official statistics later reported lower rates in men between April and December 2020. Rates from RTS systems were lower in 25–44-year-olds in April to December 2020, and in 45–64-year-olds during 2021, in comparison to the pre-lockdown period. ONS – using narrower age bands – reported lower rates in those aged 30-39 from April to December 2020.
Overall, our findings broadly align with official statistics following coroner’s inquest, and present further evidence that RTS systems of early data collection of suspected suicide deaths are likely to be an early indication of suicide rates nationally. RTS data collection has a vital role to play in the monitoring of suicide rates, allowing for a timely response in times of crisis.