The rate of emergency hospital admissions for self-harm are higher in Wiltshire than in the rest of the South West and England as a whole.

The most recent NHS Digital data shows that in 2021/22, there were 1270 emergency hospital admissions for intentional self-harm across the county.

This number is equivalent to a directly-standardised rate of 259 per 100,000 persons, higher than both the regional and national rate.

The rate in the South West is 219 per 100,000 and the rate in England 163.9 per 100,000.

NHS data from 2022/23 shows that 11.8 per cent of the adult population in Wiltshire registered with a GP practice have a diagnosis of depression.

The areas in the county that have the highest rates of diagnosed depression are Tidworth (14.5 per cent) and Trowbridge (14.0 per cent).

Bradford on Avon, Calne, Devizes, Melksham, Salisbury, Stonehenge and Westbury’s rates are also all above the county’s average.

The two areas with the lowest prevalence of depression appear to be Malmesbury (8.8 per cent) and Corsham (9.8 per cent).

This data has been gathered into the Community Area Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (CAJSNA) which brings together data over 10 different topics to provide a comparison of these topics across the 18 Community Area Boards in Wiltshire.

The CAJSNA navigation tool was presented to councillors in the Health Select Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 27.

It can be found on the Wiltshire Intelligence website which “provides a location for a wide range of data sets, indicators and assessments that have relevance to Wiltshire's residents.”

It aims to “improve access to information in Wiltshire by providing a 'one-stop shop' for key local datasets and reports, presented in a consistent format that is easy to navigate and understand.”

Regarding the rates of self-harm in Wiltshire, the website notes that the data only refers to self-harm incidents that were severe enough to require a hospital admission, and so “only represents a small proportion of self-harm and its impact on people's health and wellbeing.”

Wiltshire Council provides mental health guidance on its website and residents struggling to cope can text WILTS to 85258 for free and confidential text message support.

NHS 111 can provide non-emergency help and is available 24 hours a day.

The Samaritans can be called for free on 116 123.

If your life is at imminent risk, please call 999 for immediate help.