PFD report

Neha Susan RAJU · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 14 Oct 2022•Surrey

Report record

Published report and response evidence

This page connects the concerns raised in this report with statements found in recipients’ published responses. A link shows a clear evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

View original report
Concerns
2

Raised in this report

Recipients
1

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 1 recipient

Stated actions
6

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Source document

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

Concerns raised2

  1. Lack of protection for vulnerable people before purchases
  2. Availability of lethal quantities for internet purchase and UK delivery
    Part of recurring concern: Inadequate controls on the sale and online access to highly toxic substances
Responses linked to these concerns

Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

Actions described in response An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.1

  1. Action

    Work closely with the Home Office on safeguards concerning public access to the chemical and sellers’ suspicious-transaction reporting obligations.

    Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 14 October 2022.

Respondent positions A position is what a recipient says about a concern when it does not describe a specific action.1

  1. Position

    Regulation of the substance purchased online as a non-licensed or counterfeit medicine falls outside the MHRA’s remit.

    Stated by Department of Health and Social CareOutside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of protection for vulnerable people before purchases

Wider context from the report

“- No protection is afforded to vulnerable people prior to them making such purchases ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

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Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Availability of lethal quantities for internet purchase and UK delivery

Wider context from the report

“- ████████ is freely available to be purchased from the internet in lethal quantities for delivery within the UK ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Inadequate controls on the sale and online access to highly toxic substances.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Work closely with the Home Office on safeguards concerning public access to the chemical and sellers’ suspicious-transaction reporting obligations.

Verbatim wording from the response

“With regard to the sale of the chemical used in this case, Department officials work closely with the Home Office on this matter, and I understand from them that this chemical is available to the public for legitimate uses. It is, however, included in The Poisons Act 1972 as a reportable substance, meaning that while it is generally available without the need for a licence, sellers (including online sellers) are obligated to make suspicious transaction reports, whether they process the transaction or not, where they have grounds to believe that the sale is for an illicit use.”

Source location

Response from Department of Health and Social Care
Page 2 · response
Published 14 October 2022

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Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Regulation of the substance purchased online as a non-licensed or counterfeit medicine falls outside the MHRA’s remit.

Verbatim wording from the response

“In preparing this response, Departmental officials have made enquiries with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA have advised that they are responsible for regulating the substance used in this case, when it is used as a licensed medicine, in the form of a solution for injection. It is a prescription only medicine and has an indication for cyanide poisoning. This substance in other forms is used in other sectors, such as food manufacturing. However, when the purchase of this substance over the internet is not a licensed medicine, or counterfeit medicine, it is not within the remit of the MHRA.”

Source location

Response from Department of Health and Social Care
Page 1 · response
Published 14 October 2022

Open published response

Other statements in published responses

These actions and other statements could not be clearly connected to one concern in this report.

Recipient-stated actions An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.5

  1. 1

    Have regional mental-health leads support local authorities responding to suicide clusters or new and emerging methods, using national guidance.

    Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 14 October 2022.
  2. 2

    Provide funding to the Local Government Association for a programme helping local authorities strengthen their multi-agency suicide-prevention plans.

    Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 14 October 2022.
  3. 3

    Set up a national near-real-time suspected-suicide surveillance system to detect changes in suicide rates more quickly.

    Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 14 October 2022.
  4. 4

    Work across Government and with suicide-prevention experts and voluntary-sector partners to address online suicide-method information and access concerns.

    Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 14 October 2022.
  5. 5

    Invest an additional £57 million in suicide prevention through the NHS Long Term Plan to support local prevention plans and suicide-bereavement services.

    Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 14 October 2022.

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Have regional mental-health leads support local authorities responding to suicide clusters or new and emerging methods, using national guidance.

Verbatim wording from the response

“In addition to this, when there are particular concerns about suicides, such as clusters or new and emerging methods, OHID regional mental health leads work with the relevant local authorities to provide support on how to respond based on national guidance.”

Source location

Response from Department of Health and Social Care
Page 3 · response
Published 14 October 2022

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Provide funding to the Local Government Association for a programme helping local authorities strengthen their multi-agency suicide-prevention plans.

Verbatim wording from the response

“We know that as many as two thirds of people who take their own life are not known to mental health services or have not had contact with those services for at least a year prior to death. This is why it is important that local communities have suicide prevention plans that take into consideration their local populations. Every local authority has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place and, in 2021/22, we provided over £550,000 to the Local Government Association for a support programme to help local authorities strengthen their plans.”

Source location

Response from Department of Health and Social Care
Page 3 · response
Published 14 October 2022

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Set up a national near-real-time suspected-suicide surveillance system to detect changes in suicide rates more quickly.

Verbatim wording from the response

“More generally, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is working to set up a national near-Real Time Suspected Suicide Surveillance System (nRTSSS), which is likely to be operational by the end of Spring 2023. This will allow us to detect changes in suicide rates quicker than through provisional quarterly and final annual data on suicide death registrations published by the Office for National Statistics.”

Source location

Response from Department of Health and Social Care
Page 3 · response
Published 14 October 2022

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Work across Government and with suicide-prevention experts and voluntary-sector partners to address online suicide-method information and access concerns.

Verbatim wording from the response

“Turning to your concerns that information on suicide methods is so readily available online and about the availability of the substance used in this case. I share your concerns and would like to assure you, and Ms Raju’s family, that we are aware of these matters and are working across Government with the Home Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and with suicide and self-harm academics, and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE), to address such concerns.”

Source location

Response from Department of Health and Social Care
Page 1 · response
Published 14 October 2022

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Invest an additional £57 million in suicide prevention through the NHS Long Term Plan to support local prevention plans and suicide-bereavement services.

Verbatim wording from the response

“Finally, it is vital that we take action nationally and in local areas to prevent suicides. We are investing an additional £57 million in suicide prevention by 2023/24 through the NHS Long Term Plan. Through this, all areas of the country are seeing investment to support local suicide prevention plans and the development of suicide bereavement services.”

Source location

Response from Department of Health and Social Care
Page 3 · response
Published 14 October 2022

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026