Nine doctors and nurses from Wexham Park Hospital have been helping students learn about the impacts of knife crime.

The team, drawn from medicine and the emergency department, taught more than 200 students from Langley College how to perform effective CPR and stem bleeding in someone who has been stabbed.

The students also heard from a local family who lost their son to knife crime to learn more about its impact on victims, their families and the wider community. 

Driven by Dr Hussain Mahmood, medical registrar at Wexham Park, the event was run by community group Slough Youth Action, which, together with Dr Mahmood, liaised with local police and staff from Wexham Park to help leave a lasting impression on the students. 

Dr Mahmood said: "As a doctor who was born and raised in Slough I feel a sense of responsibility to address all issues that face my community, whether it is health inequalities, drug abuse or social issues. 

"Over the last six months, I have joined forces with Slough Youth Action who have been working tirelessly to provide coaching, career development and peer mentorship alongside provision of football and youth clubs. 

"To address the issue of knife crime I felt it was imperative I also involve my colleagues at Wexham Park Hospital, all of whom delivered excellent teaching on CPR and applying bleed kits. We were able to work together to provide essential skills and know-how to over 200 students of Langley College. 

Lucy Tebbit, emergency department matron, said: "As an ED nurse we have seen an increase in knife crime, and I feel it is important we teach young adults early about being safe and a good citizen.” 

Slough Youth Action said: “We are extremely grateful to the doctors and nurses who gave up their valuable time to support us in an initiative to provide critical learning to students of Langley College. The college is located in an area that has sadly seen multiple incidents of knife crime and tragic loss of life.

"We have received many positive comments about the professionalism, engagement and enthusiasm of the Wexham Park Hospital staff and would love to see this as the beginning of a long-standing partnership between both organisations.” 

The team from Wexham has agreed to be involved in future events and be a part of this community collaboration. For more information you can follow Slough Youth Action on Facebook and Instagram. 

 Stats from the day: 
  • 81.8% of students felt the CPR training was helpful, and that they now feel more confident in their ability to assist in an emergency involving knife crime.  
  • 83.1% of students agreed that the bleed kit training made them feel better equipped to handle a knife crime injury situation.  
  • 77.9% of people now feel more responsible to help prevent knife crime in the community, while 72.8% are more likely to speak out against knife crime after attending the workshops.  
Comments from students:  

"I found the practical activities more valuable because I got to practise things myself, like doing CPR and using a bleed kit to help someone with wounds or stab injuries." 

"CPR was very useful and it was nice to do some practical stuff." 

"It was helpful to learn more about knife crime and how to stop it”