Hospital support staff offer route out of violence

What happened? Are you going to make it? There are going to be endless questions from police, parents, friends. Do you say anything and, if so, to whom? Who understands? Who can really help?

You return home to where it all happened. What about the challenges awaiting you? How are you going to pay your bills and keep a roof over your head? What are you going to do about protecting yourself from becoming another victim? What if you see your attackers? Your heart is heavy; there is emotional trauma. This is the harsh reality for some young people in the UK – a staggering 4.7% of 16- to 24-year-olds presenting at major trauma centres in London are involved in peer-on-peer violence.

The Ben Kinsella Trust notes that there have been 244 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales in the 12 months to March 2023. Violence costs the UK healthcare system a staggering £3bn a year. But the true cost is much greater when the shattered lives and lost potential of young people are considered.

By investing in support workers in hospital emergency departments, like those provided by St Giles, we can reduce the financial burden on our healthcare system and give these young people the chance to heal, grow and thrive.

Providing support to vulnerable young people at risk is not easy. They often carry deep emotional scars and may be distrustful of any authority figures, which is understandable when what they say can make the difference between being criminalised or becoming a target for the rest of their lives. It can become a vicious negative cycle and that’s why it’s crucial that support workers have the training and resources alongside cultural competence to handle these complex situations with sensitivity, skill and most of all empathy.

We have seen the impact that hospital support workers can have at that crucial time when someone arrives with critical injuries. They not only reassure, advise and support the young person and their family, but they can act as a bridge between the hospital and the community. They can connect young people with resources and services that can help build a better future, such as education programmes, job training and mental health support.

Working closely with other healthcare professionals, support workers ensure that they receive holistic care to heal and thrive. The numbers speak for themselves: in the hospitals in which St Giles works, re-admission rates for young people in the age range typically affected by youth violence have reduced to single figures against a national average of 40%. That is a better outcome for everyone.

Junior Smart is founder of SOS Project St Giles and director of Smart Training and Consultancy.