Staff at the Northwick Park Hospital Emergency Room are teaching young people how to treat stab wounds until medical help arrives.
Basic life-saving skills are being shown to teenagers during community based demonstrations as well as graphic images of wounds and medical procedures like open heart surgery on the street.
ED consultant Nia Jones said: “We teach basic skills that can be easily remembered and applied to individuals or friends if they are at the scene of a stabbing. This includes not removing a blade, putting pressure on a wound and keeping the victim calm.
“The care they could administer to minimise blood loss between the incident and getting to A&E is crucial.”
The hospital is the closest to Harrow which has seen a rise in knife crime incidents since the start of the decade.
The team go into community centres, youth groups, schools and prisons outside working hours and do not wear a uniform to break barriers down
“We’re not teaching them to be doctors but to have some knowledge so they don’t feel helpless in that situation. The reaction has been positive and these young people are keen to learn.
“At present, I do most of the work with a charity called Your Stance but we want to get more colleagues within our ED departments in Ealing and Northwick Park involved.”
Colleagues include physician associate Kowsar Ibrahim who grew up in Brent and has been involved in youth related projects since she was a teenager.
She said: “I’ve always enjoyed helping young people and this is a great way I can bring together my experience in youth work with my medical skills.”
Northwick Park’s ED department is also employing specialist caseworkers from the charity St Giles Trust to help support young people at risk of serious youth violence.
The caseworkers work alongside doctors and nurses to identify vulnerable 12-25 year-olds and provide guidance and support.
