DEATHS by suicide will be reduced by one fifth within just four years, Mental Health Minister Claire Haughey says.

The former mental health nurse today unveiled a new strategy aimed at preventing people from ending their lives.

It includes the formation of a £3 million specialist task force to deliver ten measures aimed at reducing the suicide rate.

As many as 680 people killed themselves in 2017, which equates to a suicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000. The total is also an improvement on the 728 fatalities in 2016.

However, the rate is little changed over the past four years and Haughey said: "Every life matters and no death by suicide should be regarded as either acceptable or inevitable.

"Over the past decade, Scotland has made real progress in reducing deaths by suicide but we have far more to do. We want a Scotland where suicide is preventable, and where anyone contemplating suicide or who has lost a loved one gets the support they need."

The blueprint, launched at the Men's Share project in Midlothian, includes training for all NHS staff, with refreshed mental health and suicide prevention guidance for the rest of the public and private sectors.

All deaths by suicide will be reviewed, with lessons to be "shared with partners and acted on", and efforts will be made to use technology to combat the problem.

Rose Fitzpatrick, former deputy chief constable of Police Scotland, will chair the new National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group, which is backed by £3 million of funding.

Haughey said: “This plan sets out how the Scottish Government and our partners will achieve this and it makes clear that suicide prevention is everyone’s business. Our approach recognises the need to work together across sectors and organisations to identify and support people in distress, strengthen communities, and save lives.”

The Mental Health Foundation, which campaigned for NHS staff training and a national body on suicide prevention, welcomed the plan, but said teachers should also undergo mandatory courses.

Calling for better help for families, Lee Knifton, head of Mental Health Foundation Scotland, said: “The new leadership group can help instil new drive and ambition in tackling suicide in Scotland.

“We’re equally pleased that our calls for mandatory training for NHS and social security staff and trauma-informed support for bereaved families have been backed by the government and are included in the plan.

“Around 70% of people who die by suicide are known to health services in the year prior to death. This shows we often know who is at risk."

Meanwhile, Peter Johnston, the health and social care spokesman for local government body Cosla, said: "All public services, including the third sector, must work together to prevent the tragedy of suicide and support people who contemplate suicide.

"It is our responsibility to ensure people at risk feel able to ask for and access help and that support is available to the families affected."

And Dr Donald Macgregor, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "When it comes to preventing suicide, we know that early identification is key. That's why we are pleased to see this plan include pledges to establish awareness campaigns and mental health and suicide prevention training for all public and private staff.

"However, just as it will be compulsory for NHS staff to receive this training, we would like all staff, regardless of sector, to share that same obligation."