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At the age of 21, James Wentworth-Stanley committed suicide following a minor operation 10 days earlier. Before taking his own life, he reportedly told a consultant he was feeling suicidal, and was then referred to A&E as a low priority case.
Reports said he sat on his own waiting to be seen for hours. After waiting endlessly without anyone to talk to, he stood up and walked away. And committed suicide afterwards.
His parents, Nick & Clare, believe that had there been a place for James to visit and speak to someone more immediately, his life, and countless others, would have been saved.
READ: WHO: What you need to know about suicide, depression
In his honour, and to help many others planning to slide down the path of suicide, the James’ Place, a non-clinical centre for men experiencing suicidal ideation, has been opened in Liverpool, UK.
The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William performed the official opening Tuesday.
A tweet by Kessington palace pointed out that “suicide is the biggest cause of death for men under 35.” It added that the centre will be the first of its kind in the UK to provide face-to-face support for men in their time of need”
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On its website, the centre noted: “Liverpool is an area of high mental health need and is served by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, one of the best and most innovative mental health providers in the NHS. The trust is clearly dedicated to tackling the unthinkable statistic behind suicide and has launched a “Zero Suicide” initiative in order to provide the services needed to prevent the loss of lives.
The centre is expected to take referrals from local hospitals, student counselling services and police and street triage services.