Improving Care in Self-Harm HIT
The Improving Care in Self-Harm Health Integration Team (HIT) is working to reduce the number of suicides in the Bristol area, by transforming understanding of self-harm across the health service and improving treatment and support for self-harm patients. They aim to ensure self-harm treatment and care is equitable, fully evidence based and non-stigmatising for all people who self-harm, and to reduce suicides in Bristol.
Self-harm is a growing problem for the NHS in Bristol and across the rest of the UK, with around 200,000 hospital emergency department cases reported nationally every year. The number of people who self-harm in Bristol alone is estimated at around 25,000. The condition is the highest predictor of suicide, with self-harm patients 35 times more likely to end their own lives.
Latest news and events
1 April 2022
Even though many help resources exist, including online, young people are sometimes reluctant to seek assistance with their mental health. There is also evidence to suggest that many of these services don’t adequately help young people in crisis, and li...
14 October 2021
Bristol Health Partners held its annual Conference on Tuesday 12 October 2021. Like last year, the event was held online due to the ongoing pandemic, with more than 110 academics, clinicians, commissioners and others from organisations across Bristol, Sou...
30 September 2021
Supporting adults who self-harm or experience suicidal thoughts could now be easier for GPs, thanks to work by Bristol Health Partners’ Improving Care in Self-harm Health Integration Team (STITCH HIT). STITCH HIT has created new resources on REMEDY for...
20 July 2021
Drs Lucy Biddle, Becky Mars and Sandra Walker, Improving Care in Self-Harm (STITCH) HIT co-directors, reflect on 2020-21. The COVID-19 pandemic meant some planned STITCH HIT projects were delayed, but new opportunities also arose. The team is analysing...
20 October 2020
Bristol Health Partners held its annual Health Integration Team (HIT) Conference as an entirely virtual event this year because of the pandemic. The event, “COVID-19 Call to Action: What else can we achieve in health and social care?”, took place b...
5 October 2020
From Monday, 5 October 2020, Self Injury Support will be offering a self-harm information and navigation service open to anyone over 18 affected by self-harm, including those who self-harm, friends, family and people who work with people who self-harm. Th...
4 May 2020
Improving Care in Self-Harm Health Integration Team (STITCH HIT) Directors Drs Becky Mars, Lucy Biddle and Sandra Walker reflect on the team’s achievements in 2019-20. The HIT welcomed two new directors, Dr Becky Mars (University of Bristol) and Dr Sand...
17 February 2020
Three of Bristol Health Partners (BHP) Health Integration Teams (HITs) will receive a further £30,000 in funding from Above & Beyond to help improve the health and quality of life of Bristol communities. In 2019, Above & Beyond secured independent...
11 September 2019
The distrACT app, developed in collaboration with the Bristol Health Partners' Improving Care in Self-Harm Health Integration Team (STITCH HIT), has won the British Medical Association Patient Information Award for wellbeing.
19 May 2019
Sue Dursley, Nik Munien and Lucy Biddell, Co-Directors of the Improving Care in Self-Harm Health Integration Team (STITCH HIT) give an update on the HIT's activities in 2018-19.
12 February 2019
With young people’s mental health hitting the headlines, a Bristol-developed free app giving people easy, quick and discreet access to reliable information and advice about self-harm and suicidal thoughts is now included on the NHS Apps Library.
24 September 2018
Bristol Health Integration Teams (HITs) have secured £1,438,000 of funding in the first quarter of 2018/19. This impressive contribution to the local health and care system is the result of efforts from a range of HITs.
