Future doctors at UCL Medical School are now receiving vital suicide‑prevention training thanks to a three‑year programme funded by the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust. The initiative, delivered by the national suicide‑prevention charity Olly’s Future, equips medical students with ten practical suicide‑prevention tools alongside ten self‑care and resilience techniques, strengthening both their ability to support patients and their own wellbeing.
This funding has enabled the development of a sustainable Training‑for‑Trainers (T4T) model, allowing UCL staff to deliver the Dr SAMS (Suicide Awareness in Medical Students) programme long into the future. Olly’s Future has already trialled this approach with organisations such as Sanctuary Housing, where it may reach up to 11,000 staff across the UK, demonstrating the potential scale and impact of the model.
Ann Feloy, Founder and CEO of Olly’s Future, said: “I wanted to ensure sustainability and a way to scale the Dr SAMS programme to reach as many medical schools and universities as possible. This funding has enabled us to develop a Training for Trainers ‘T4T’ model so that the sessions can be delivered going forward by in-house staff, face to face. The work has involved developing training manuals and videos to help staff learn how to deliver Dr SAMS themselves.”
The Fishmongers’ Company has identified mental health, and specifically suicide prevention, as a priority area for its charitable funding, recognising the growing need for effective early‑intervention approaches across London and the UK. Support for this programme directly reflects the Company’s commitment to improving mental‑health outcomes and enabling organisations to build capability, confidence and long‑term resilience.
© The Fishmongers’ Company 2026
