Plans to reduce suicide rate across Hampshire are being drawn up.

Experts are working on proposals aimed at reducing the rate of suicide across the county after figures showed an increase in the number of suicides in Hampshire.

It comes as earlier this year Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council joined forces to employ a  suicide prevention programme manager in a bid to meet the government target and reduce the rate of suicides by 10% by 2020/21.

Chris Watts, the new suicide prevention programme manager, has now started drawing up plans which were scrutinised by the Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel at the city council on Thursday.

Mr Watts, who will work across Southampton, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and the rest of Hampshire, told members of the panel that four key areas of intervention have already been identified.

They include work to improve the support available in primary care, improve care for people who self-harm, provide training and support in workplaces and ensure that people bereaved by suicide are able to gain the support they need.

He also stressed the importance of working with local communities and stakeholders and ensure that residents are aware of the support available.

“There are many contributing factors to suicide and we need to work with partners and with communities to make a change. De-stigmatising mental health is really important,”he added.

The work will be funded by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) – which coordinates health and care across Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight- as earlier this year it received just under £500,000 from NHS England for local suicide prevention.

At the meeting held on Thursday experts also told councillors that in Southampton the suicide rate has fallen in recent years from 15 deaths per 100,000 people in 2012-14 to 12.7 in 2016-18. However, the city continues to have a “significantly higher” rate of suicides than the national (9.6 deaths per 100,000) and South East (9.2 deaths per 100,000) average.

Cllr Dave Shield, cabinet member for healthier and safer city at the city council, said: “Things are moving and I really welcome the additional investment but I am impatient that we move faster.”

The plans are at a very early stage and are set to be scrutinised further in the new year.

 Samaritans’ helpline is available round the clock and can be contacted by phone, email, letter, and face to face. Contact 116 123.