CRediT contribution statement
Ruth Riley (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8774-5344): Conceptualisation (lead), Funding acquisition (lead), Investigation (equal), Methodology (lead), Project administration (lead), Supervision (lead), Writing – original draft (supporting), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Johanna Spiers (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3935-1997): Investigation (equal), Methodology (supporting), Project administration (supporting), Writing – original draft (equal), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Hilary Causer (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4284-2962): Investigation (equal), Methodology (supporting), Project administration (supporting), Writing – original draft (equal), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Jill Maben (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6168-0455): Conceptualisation (supporting), Funding acquisition (supporting), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing – original draft (supporting), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Carolyn Chew-Graham (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9722-9981): Conceptualisation (supporting), Funding acquisition (supporting), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing – original draft (supporting), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Nikolaos Efstathiou (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5811-8982): Conceptualisation (supporting), Funding acquisition (supporting), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing – original draft (supporting), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Anya Gopfert (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1678-4773): Conceptualisation (supporting), Funding acquisition (supporting), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing – original draft (supporting), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Kathryn Grayling (https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9316-6070): Conceptualisation (supporting), Funding acquisition (supporting), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing – original draft (supporting), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Maria van Hove (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3716-5581): Conceptualisation (supporting), Funding acquisition (supporting), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Writing – original draft (supporting), Writing – reviewing and editing (equal).
Acknowledgements
We would like to extend our appreciation to:
The NHS staff across England and Wales who found the time to participate in interviews and the stakeholder workshop and who shared their experiences wholeheartedly and generously.
Our stakeholders, steering group and PPIE group for their guidance, expertise and support.
Our filmmaker Emily Kay Stoker for her compassionate and skilled approach to translating participant stories into a powerful and engaging film.
Our design team, Glassup & Stoski Ltd, for their excellent work designing our guidance document.
Our study therapist, Géraldine DuFour, for supporting the research team and participants throughout the process.
NIHR HS&DR for funding the NHS Postvention study (NIHR129341).
West Midlands ARC for part-funding Chew-Graham.
Data-sharing statement
All data requests should be addressed to the corresponding author.
Ethics statement
Ethical approval was granted by the University of Birmingham: ERN_20-1566 (23 July 2021), and the Health Research Authority: IRAS 291050 (7 October 2021).
Information governance statement
University of Surrey is committed to handling all personal information in line with the UK Data Protection Act (2018) and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) 2016/679. Under the Data Protection legislation, University of Surrey is the Data Controller, and you can find out more about how we handle personal data, including how to exercise your individual rights and the contact details from our Data Protection Officer here: dataprotection@surrey.ac.uk
Disclosure of interests
Full disclosure of interests: Completed ICMJE forms for all authors, including all related interests, are available in the toolkit on the NIHR Journals Library report publication page at https://doi.org/10.3310/GFTA1212.
Primary conflicts of interest: The authors declare there are no competing interests with the exception of Jill Maben: HS&DR Funding Committee Members November 2019–October 2022 and HS&DR Funding Committee (Seacole) (dates unknown).
Copyright and credit statement
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions for reproduction, to credit original sources appropriately and to respect copyright requirements. However, despite our diligence, we acknowledge the possibility of unintentional omissions or errors and we welcome notifications of any concerns regarding copyright or permissions.
Publications
Guidance for practice
1. Postvention guidance: Riley R, Causer H, Spiers J, Chew-Graham CA, Efstathiou N, Gopfert A, et al. Postvention Guidance: Supporting NHS Staff after the Death by Suicide of a Colleague. University of Surrey. URL: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/uos-suicide-postvention-brochure.pdf
2. Postvention guidance – Executive summary: Riley R, Causer H, Spiers J, Chew-Graham CA, Efstathiou N, Gopfert A, et al. Postvention Guidance: Supporting NHS Staff after the Death by Suicide of a Colleague. University of Surrey. URL: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/uos-suicide-postvention-executive-summary.pdf
Film
1. Film based on our research findings: After Them, a short documentary about the experiences of NHS staff following the suicide of a colleague, can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYhMSj8CQ3s
Peer reviewed papers
1. Integrative review: Causer H, Spiers J, Efstathiou N, Aston S, Chew-Graham CA, Gopfert A, et al. The impact of colleague suicide and the current state of postvention guidance for affected co-workers: a critical integrative review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022;19:11565.
2. Grounded theory based on staff experiences: Causer H, Spiers J, Efstathiou N, Aston S, Chew-Graham CA, Gopfert A, et al. Filling in the gaps: a grounded theory of the experiences and needs of healthcare staff following a colleague death by suicide in the UK. Death Stud 2024:1–12.
3. Grounded theory based on supporters’ experiences: Spiers J, Causer H, Efstathiou N, Chew-Graham CA, Gopfert A, Grayling K, et al. Negotiating the postvention situation: a grounded theory of NHS staff experiences when supporting their coworkers following a colleague’s suicide. Death Stud 2024:1–11.
4. Methods paper: Causer H, Spiers J, Efstathiou N, Aston S, Chew-Graham CA, Gopfert A, et al. A method for synthesizing qualitative data sources in the co-production of postvention guidelines for the NHS: a worked example. Int J Qual Methods 2024;23:16094069241229985.
Commentary and editorial
Riley R, Causer H. Why do NHS staff need suicide prevention? A call to leaders to implement new evidence-based guidance. National Health Executive Magazine. 36–39. National Health Executive: September/October 23; 2023.
Spiers J. Supporting colleagues after suicide. Key Worker, Issue 1, 27–28. Key Worker Magazine – Issue 1 (September 2023) by Key Worker Magazine – Issue; 2023.
Conference papers
Causer H. Experiences of Suicide in the Workplace [Paper presentation]. Suicide Bereavement UK International Conference, 2022, Manchester, UK, September 2022.
Riley R, Causer H, Spiers J. A Colleague Death by Suicide: Postvention Guidance for the NHS [Paper presentation]. Suicide Cultures Conference, 2023, Edinburgh, UK, 13–14 June 2023,.
Causer H, Riley R, Spiers J. Experiences of NHS Staff Following a Colleague Death by Suicide [Paper presentation]. Early & Mid-Career Suicide and Self-Harm Researcher Forum, 2023, Glasgow, UK, 15–16 June 2023.
Riley R, Causer H, Spiers J. A Colleague Death by Suicide: The Needs and Experiences of NHS Staff [Paper presentation]. International Association for the Prevention of Suicide International Forum, 2023, Piran, Slovenia, 19–22 September 2023.
Causer H, Riley R, Spiers J. A Colleague Death by Suicide: Developing Postvention Guidance for NHS Staff [Paper presentation]. International Association for the Prevention of Suicide International Forum, 2023, Piran, Slovenia, 19–22 September 2023.
Riley R, Causer H. A Colleague Death by Suicide: Developing Postvention Guidance for NHS Staff [Paper presentation]. Workforce, Organisation & Wellbeing Research Group Seminar, University of Surrey, 2023, Online, UK, November 2023.
Causer H, Riley R. Developing Guidance for Healthworker Wellbeing: A Novel Method [Paper presentation]. Wellmed International Conference, 2024, Mount Pelion, Greece, November 2024.
Invited talks and workshops
Riley R, Causer H, Spiers J. A Colleague Death by Suicide: Postvention Guidance for the NHS [Paper presentation]. NHS Employers, Wellbeing Leads Meeting, Online, UK, 4 August 2023.
Riley R, Causer H, Spiers J. A Colleague Death by Suicide: Postvention Guidance for the NHS [Paper presentation]. Social Partnership Forum – Workforce Issues Group Meeting, Online, UK, 22 August 2023.
Causer H, Riley R. A Colleague Death by Suicide: Developing Post vention Guidance for Healthcare Staff [Paper presentation]. Australian Workplace Postvention Research and Development Group, Online, Globa, 1 August 2024.
Causer H, Riley R. A Colleague Death by Suicide: Implementing Postvention Guidance for Healthcare Staff [Workshop]. Suicide Bereavement UK International Conference, 2024, Manchester, UK, 26 September 2024.
Disclaimers
This article presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NHS, the NIHR, the HSDR programme or the Department of Health and Social Care. If there are verbatim quotations included in this publication the views and opinions expressed by the interviewees are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of the authors, those of the NHS, the NIHR, the HSDR programme or the Department of Health and Social Care.