A Christian MP has called the suicide rate “unacceptable” after a parliamentary committee found 4,800 suicides were recorded in England in 2015.
![Andrew Selous, Tory MP for South West Bedfordshire, is calling for action on suicide prevention](https://i0.wp.com/www.heartpublications.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/andrew-selous-e1490895216915-237x300.jpg?resize=198%2C251&ssl=1)
The Health Select Committee said the real rate was probably significantly higher; about 30 per cent of suicide victims who had visited a GP before taking their own life were not referred to a mental health specialist.
Committee member Andrew Selous told Premier Radio: “We heard really tragic stories. People sought help at A&E, but the letter sent to their GP arrived too late – within two days the person had already taken their own life.
“People take their own lives when they don’t have any hope for the future – such a tragic and unnecessary state of mind.”
Government spending on suicide prevention is increasing by £25 million in the next three years.