Background: Resources for people bereaved by suicide are available in many countries, but these are rarely evaluated.In 2006 the UK Department of Health published Help is at Hand, a resource for people bereaved by suicide and other sudden, traumatic death, a 46 page A4 booklet available free of charge as a hard copy and online.We conducted a study to evaluate whether the resource was useful and appropriate, whether it reached its target group, and to identify ways of improving it for users.Methods: Several approaches were used, including? Information from the Department of Health on access to the resource? A prospective evaluation of users views through questionnaires distributed through coroners, and shorter questionnaires included as a tear-out version with the hard copy of Help is at Hand, and also available for completion online? Focus group and interviews with members of support groups, professional organisations and bereaved individuals Results: The online resource was accessed about 400 times a month.Between September 2006 and December 2009 44,765 hard copies were distributed, 60% to clinical services, 19% to other government agencies (e.g.police, coroners), 13% to voluntary agencies and 3% to private individuals.For the prospective questionnaire evaluation 107 potential participants were approached by Coroners Officers but only 12 subsequently completed and returned questionnaires.Fifteen online questionnaires and 8 tear-out copies were received.Respondents included 23 people bereaved by suicide, 7 people bereaved by other traumatic death and 5 professionals and other individuals.Five bereavement charity workers attended the focus group; interviews were conducted with 4 bereaved individuals and 5 statutory workers.Respondents were generally positive about the content of the resource, especially sections on practical matters and experiencing bereavement.They thought the best time to receive it was within one month of the death, but many bereaved people were unaware of its existence.Suggestions for improved distribution methods and formatting changes were made.Conclusion: Evaluation of resources for people bereaved by suicide, such as Help is at Hand, is challenging.Thus recruitment to all parts of the study was difficult, perhaps because suicide still remains a sensitive issue.Poor response to the questionnaires distributed through coroners might be due to emotional distress following recent bereavement.The resource was generally seen as helpful and informative.The main problem concerned gaining access to it.It should be better publicised and more widely distributed, and offered to bereaved people soon after the death.It could be used as part of professional training.Suggestions about content made by respondents were included in a third edition of the resource.