Hospitals plant trees for staff lost to suicide

NHS leaders said the trees would allow those who had been lost to be honoured and remembered

Two Devon hospitals have planted trees in memory of health workers who have lost their lives to suicide.

The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) and North Devon District Hospital held tree-planting ceremonies last week to coincide with National Suicide Memorial Day for Health and Care Workers.

In the UK, a nurse took their own life every week, while, for doctors, it was once every three weeks, a spokesperson said.

Dr Vanessa Purday, chief medical officer at the RD&E, said: "Many of us in the NHS will have been affected by the loss of a colleague to suicide, so we hope these trees will allow those who have sadly taken their own lives to be honoured and remembered."

She said people working in healthcare were "under enormous pressure every day", so it was important to support their mental health and wellbeing.

The National Memorial Tree Campaign was set up by medical mental health charity Doctors in Distress.