NHS trainers have been speaking to young people in Teesside about the impact of knife crime as part of a special new course.
Staff at the Hartlepool Health and Social Care Academy (HSCA) have been highlighting the realities of having to treat knife wounds in the NHS.
The sessions, run by staff at the academy which is managed by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, aim to raise awareness and help teenagers to understand the devastating consequences of knife crime – which sees teenagers disproportionately affected more than any other age group.
Cases on the rise
Cleveland is one of the highest areas in the country for violence. From August 2023 to the end of July 2024, 186 young people aged 24 and under were victims of a crime involving a knife or a bladed weapon in the Cleveland Police area.
The sessions were developed as part of a campaign involving Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence (CURV) and have been held at Stockton Riverside, Redcar and Cleveland College and The Skills Academy, Billingham, so far.
The sessions were led by Teresa Pounder, education lead for the Health and Social Care Academy and Joel Pitchers, academy simulation technician alongside vascular surgeon, and Mr Barney Green, who works at The James Cook University Hospital and as part of the University Hospitals Tees group.
The organisation of these important sessions was facilitated by colleagues from the Education Training Collective, resilience and wellbeing officer Tom Markham, and enrichment officer Liam McCormick.
Education lead Teresa Pounder said: “Sadly, there has been a rise in knife crime in the last 10 years, so being able to go into schools and to show first-hand how the choices they make, and the consequences of those choices, can have a long-lasting impact.
“It has been humbling to be able to lead on delivering such important sessions with our colleague Barney within our local colleges and we hope to extend the programme further in the coming months.”
Course aims to showcase impact of knife crime
The sessions saw Barney Green showcase his first-hand experience of the terrible impact that knife crime can have and what it takes to treat stab wounds in the operating theatre.
The sessions also highlighted the impact knife crime has on victims, their families and the local community alongside the long-term psychological and medical impacts and what first aid the college students could provide to victims while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Barney said: “No one ever wants to have to encounter someone who has been the victim of knife crime and sadly we see multiple serious incidents from stabbing every month.
“But we hope that through these sessions we will be able to explore the ‘prevention is better than a cure’ philosophy with respect to carrying knives. It’s also an important opportunity to equip the learners with some basic skills that they could use should they sadly ever find someone bleeding from a knife wound.
“As much as we hope they will never have to use these skills, we hope that these simple techniques may just help save a life.”
The Academy hopes to continue to deliver more sessions in schools and colleges in the local area in the coming months.
Upcoming knife crime courses
The Health and Social Care Academy, based at the University Hospital of Hartlepool, is planning to extend its knife crime course in the summer.
The course will see discussions around decisions and consequences and definitions of knife crime, alongside scenario based learning within the newly established immersive suite.
Keep an eye out for exciting updates on this upcoming course.
To find out more about the academy and other available courses visit the Health and Social Care Academy webpage.