A scheme designed to help vulnerable young people in Swindon and jointly funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and the NHS, has been praised for impact it’s had in its first year in the town.

Twice a week, WAY Beacons base themselves at the Great Western Hospital’s Emergency Department, where they speak to patients aged from 11-25 years old who have been admitted with mental health concerns, substance misuse, or who show signs of being at risk of being exploited by criminal gangs.

Natasha Gell is the Serious Violence Duty Co-ordinator for Wiltshire and Swindon:

“In a space which can feel quite clinical, and with the formality of people in uniforms and titles and Latin names (of drugs) floating around, the WAY Beacons are someone for a vulnerable young person to connect to, someone that’s going to take a real interest them and talk to them about what’s happened or is happening to them and not just ask what they have done.

 “That’s the trauma informed practice we're trying to bring into these spaces and recognising the importance of taking a child first approach to our interactions with young people”

From August 2023 to June 2024, sixty-six young people were supported by the WAY Beacons, with the support continuing long after their initial contact at the hospital.

WAY Beacons meet up with the young person outside of hospital, their homes and schools, usually choosing to meet in places such as coffee shops, fast food outlets or bowling alleys, where the setting is more informal and relaxed.

Sam Lloyd is the project director at WAY:

“WAY Beacons are trained youth practitioners who meet young people in hospital at that reachable moment and simply have a conversation and get to know them.

“By getting to know that young person, and crucially by taking time both in the hospital and out in the community and taking an interest, we can journey alongside them towards positive change, whatever that looks like”

All of the young people who were surveyed after receiving support from the WAY Beacons said that speaking to them had been helpful.

Through supporting young people on a long-term basis, the WAY Beacon scheme has helped to reduce them re-attending A&E. 55% of the young people supported by the WAY Beacons were repeat attenders to the emergency department, with 79% of them not re-attending since receiving support.

Kaylea Martin is a Senior Sister on the children’s ward at the Great Western Hospital:

“I’ve been working here for fourteen years, and we’ve never had a scheme like this within the hospital.

“Since the WAY Beacons started, we’ve seen a massive decline in the number of children re-presenting back to the ward.

“The young people sometimes see a uniform as a barrier, and that we’re there to see them only from a medical point of view, which isn’t always the case.

“WAY Beacons have come in and the young people see them as being completely for them, even though the WAY Beacons still work closely with us.”

Published Friday 20 September 2024