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The Stay Alive app by Grassroots Suicide Prevention

The Stay Alive app

Stay Alive is a suicide prevention resource full of tools and resources to help people stay safe from suicide.

Find out about the research behind our award-winning work, the impact it has had on those thinking about suicide, and how to get involved in support, campaigns and development.

A young man leaning against the wall in a corridor looks down thoughtfully at his phone with one headphone in his left ear

Background

The Stay Alive app is a pioneering, award-winning suicide prevention app created by Grassroots Suicide Prevention. It can be used by individuals navigating suicidal crises or experiencing suicidal ideation, or by those concerned about someone. Additionally, it can be used as a professional resource, aiding in the support and management of individuals at risk of suicide.

Stay Alive can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for smartphones and tablets. The web version functions like a website and can be accessed from smartphones, tablets and desktop or laptop computers. 

The Stay Alive app is a groundbreaking tool in suicide prevention. Years of research and development, supported by clinical expertise from Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, resulted in a unique digital resource catering to individuals at risk of suicide, those who care about them and those who work with them. There was a clear gap in the market for apps providing this vital, life-saving support and, at its release in 2014, Stay Alive was the first of its kind in the UK.

Financially backed by Network Rail and with digital support from developers at Switchplane, the journey of Stay Alive was carefully planned. The process involved an extensive consultation period on appropriate content, seeking input from young people, LGBTQ adults, and professionals in the mental health field. An online survey of over 300 participants also provided valuable quantitative and qualitative data to guide our efforts. 

Find out more about the resources, privacy policy and view our Stay Alive FAQ on the About the Stay Alive app page.

Over the past decade, Stay Alive has transformed suicide prevention efforts, offering comprehensive support and guidance to people at risk. Beyond crisis intervention, it is a valuable resource for concerned friends and family members, and professionals in therapy, social work and education. Endorsed by the NHS, Stay Alive continues to evolve, with regular updates introducing updates, new features and new languages. We recently added Romanian as part of a wider campaign, bringing our language total to fourteen. 

User feedback and independent evaluations play a key role in keeping the app relevant and effective in the fast-moving digital landscape. We also review and update all guidance and information every six months and run a link-checker daily to ensure links are in correct working order.

Recognising the importance of accessibility, we also produce the app in paper format to reach vulnerable communities without internet or smartphone access. Additionally, regional adaptations have been made through our various partnership initiatives, with resources tailored to specific local organisations as well as nationwide assistance. 

Impact

855,000+

downloads since the app was launched in 2014

208

countries and territories with Stay Alive users

14

European languages are available

Independent research

Independent evaluation and research shows Stay Alive helps to keep people safe from suicide and increase help-seeking behaviour.

Real stories

Read testimonials from people who have been helped by Stay Alive and our wider work on the Real Stories page

Awards

We are immensely proud of the awards that Stay Alive has won. Find out more below and discover all of Grassroots Suicide Prevention’s recognition for our wider work on our Awards page

BMA logo

Patient Information Awards

In 2023, the Stay Alive booklet, created for digitally excluded populations, was announced as runner-up. Judges called it a “much needed, novel and sensitively produced resource”.

Read more

Patient Safety Awards 2015 Winner

Patient Safety Award

Our app won a Patient Safety Award in 2015, praised for its “important and unique approach” to improving patient safety. 

Read more

west sussex clinical commissioning group ccg logo

Sussex CCG’s Innovation Award

An NHS Patient Panel evaluated over 30 projects that enhance quality of care for vulnerable people and assist self-help safety. Stay Alive won with feedback describing the app as “a significant life-saver”. 

Read more

crisis care concordat logo

Named as an inspiration

The Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat is a national agreement among service providers to improve the care and support for individuals experiencing mental health crises. Stay Alive has been listed as a national inspiration. 

Read more

Work with us

We believe in the power of collaboration. If you’re a mental health professional, organisation, or passionate advocate for suicide prevention, let’s connect.

Working together looks different for everyone. Discover the different opportunities below and get in touch with us to start your journey. We are open to all sorts of partnerships, so if you have an idea we haven’t mentioned, please get in touch

We work closely with independent organisations to review, improve and develop Stay Alive. If you would like to work with us on app improvements, reviews or research involving the app, please get in touch

Read about past and current studies on the Stay Alive Research page

We have created and managed several Stay Alive partnership campaigns, with a variety of budget and area constraints. 

If you have advertising space you would like to fill, an idea for a more in-depth campaign or you want to promote Stay Alive (and our wider resources) in your community, local area or to a particular audience, please get in touch

More information about our campaigns can be found on the campaigns page

Sponsoring, funding, grants and other financial assistance helps us to keep Stay Alive up-to-date and inclusive of the latest life-saving resources and practices. 

Philanthropic donations, grants, core funding from Trusts and Foundations and many different kinds of awards have helped us fund Stay Alive in the past. If you want to support us, please contact the Stay Alive team

Funding from the Kent Saving Lives – Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund allowed Grassroots Suicide Prevention to distribute over 3,000 booklets to charities, services and publicly accessible buildings working with the high-risk groups in Kent and Medway.

The final design was refined via a 7-week consultation process with Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Network members. The user-led process ensured that the booklet was tailored to the needs of service providers and stakeholders across Kent and Medway.

Seven organisations contributed to the consultation including Kent Police, East Kent Mind, and Age UK. 

If you would like to work with us on a similar project, please get in touch with the team

Promoting the Stay Alive app on your social media platforms, via email, or in physical locations with posters and flyers helps more people at risk find life-saving resources. 

Find ready-to-post social media assets, hashtags, links and more on our Downloadable Resources page

The Stay Alive booklet

Some groups face a higher risk of being digitally excluded, so may find it hard to use Stay Alive. These groups also generally face a higher risk of health inequalities, making access all the more important. 

The Stay Alive booklet helps us bridge this gap. We have presented the app’s life-saving content and tools in a physical booklet which can be tailored to local areas or communities. We adopted a user-led design process to ensure the content was accessible and tailored to the needs of service providers and stakeholders in their local areas.

So far, we have worked with charities, health services, and public organisations, adapting and distributing the booklet for their specific needs.

View and share the digital copy of our national Stay Alive booklet.

Interested in funding a tailored Stay Alive booklet for your local area? Get in touch with the Stay Alive team to find out more.

11,000

booklets distributed to 200 organisations across Sussex, funded by the Sussex Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund

4,000

booklets distributed to 80 organisations in Kent and Medway, funded by Kent County Council, Medway Council and the NHS as part of the Saving Lives Innovation Fund

3,000

booklets distributed in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes

Selected case studies

Kent County Council

Local funding enabled the delivery of over 3,000 booklets to key services in Kent and Medway, with consultation from a number of potential users. 

Funding from the Kent Saving Lives – Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund allowed Grassroots Suicide Prevention to distribute over 3,000 booklets to charities, services and publicly accessible buildings working with the high-risk groups in Kent and Medway.

The final design was refined via a 7-week consultation process with Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Network members. The user-led process ensured that the booklet was tailored to the needs of service providers and stakeholders across Kent and Medway.

Seven organisations contributed to the consultation including Kent Police, East Kent Mind, and Age UK.

menwalktalk logo

Older men have found the physical resource of the Stay Alive booklet to be a useful, ‘straight to the point’ tool.

“At MenWalkTalk, our walk-leaders across Sussex have had the Stay Alive booklets on them whilst facilitating walks. Walk-leaders often share information about the Stay Alive app but having the booklet has been a really useful tool for the older generations that join us.

Some guys have taken a copy home and put it to good use and have received all positive feedback about the booklet, its layout and ‘straight to the point’ language.”

NHS Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

The Sussex Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund provided support for a Sussex-wide distribution to over 200 organisations. 

Funding from the Sussex Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund allowed Grassroots Suicide Prevention to distribute 10,000 booklets to over 200 organisations that work in Sussex across a range of sectors and service-users.

We consulted and held focus groups during the design process, getting valuable feedback on accessibility, content, appearance, and usability. The booklet was then sent to homeless charities, refugee projects, libraries, prisons, housing associations, and a wide range of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust teams.

St Mungo's

We helped to provide life-saving resources to at-risk people in the homeless community with no or limited smartphone and internet access. 

“The Stay Alive booklet has quite literally been a life saving resource for clients in our service – many of whom are digitally disadvantaged and would not be able to access the information online or on a web based application.

We ensure that all clients within our service have access to this resource and are proactive in our approach to use the booklet as a guide for clients who we feel are expressing or exhibiting signs of suicidal ideation.

Many of the clients who come into our service experience an increased sense of hopelessness and this booklet has been a valuable tool in supporting clients with their mental wellbeing.”

Kent Police

Kent Police have implemented the booklet in crisis and care environments as well as distributing to staff. 

“This is an outstanding product – we have shared it with all our care rooms for internal use, issued it to all our crisis negotiators for post negotiation issue where relevant, and sign posted to all staff for operational carriage via the link or QR code. We had a message from one peer in another part of the county who wanted more booklets as they had given out their copies to staff members who needed them (and their family members) so it’s doing a good job!”

east sussex college logo

Stay Alive booklets have given students and parents a tangible resource to help talk about their mental health and plan for days when they feel low. 

“The Stay Alive booklets have been really helpful enabling my mentors to talk about suicide with our students. They have been used to help the students think about what is positive in their lives, how to help themselves when they are feeling really low and to plan how to keep themselves safe when they are not able to come and talk to us. They give the students something tangible to take with them, that they can pick up and work through when needed.

We have also shared these with parents, to help them think about what is needed for their young person. The rest of the information given, the myths, warning signs and further help sections are comprehensive and again give further reassurance to anyone who needs them.”

Want to know more?

If you would like to partner with us on a campaign, start a piece of research, help to fund app development, book us to come and talk about Stay Alive or enquire about other ways to support this incredible resource, please get in touch below. 

You can find more about the app’s features and tools on the About Stay Alive page.

If you want to access the app, you can download Stay Alive on mobile or tablet or visit Stay Alive online on your phone, tablet, computer or laptop. 

Did you know 1 in 5 people will have suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives?

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