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All aboard - ELFT & Network Rail

All On Board - ELFT & Network Rail

All on Board is a partnership that embeds an East London NHS Foundation Trust Nurse in the Network Rail Anglia team with a vision to lead in the delivery of a service that works within our communities and with a wide range of partners such as train operating companies, the charity sector, and British Transport Police to reduce suicide and promote signposting to help; before a person reaches the point that they are in a mental health crisis.

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In order to meet the strategic outcomes, a number of initiatives have been launched. These include

  • Training for staff who work at train stations across Anglia in Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention
  • Awareness/ signposting events, with partner organisations such as the Samaritans and Rail Pastors that coincide with national days/ weeks such as Mental Health Awareness Week and Men’s Health Week – the aim of these is to create opportunities for conversations around mental health in settings where ‘hard to reach' groups are more comfortable
  • The development of the acronym ‘RAILS’ can equip anyone with the skills to respond to a mental health emergency:
    • Recognise
    • Ask – direct questions
    • Intervene
    • Listen
    • Signpost/ suggest self-care
  • Signposting directories that will be available at train stations and list the National Helplines and services for mental health, suicide, drug and alcohol, domestic violence, sexual violence, bereavement, addiction, and financial difficulties – with the aim to address the risk factors for suicide
  • Improved communication with the BTP Vulnerability Unit, to ensure that at risk individuals have Suicide Prevention Plans
  • Regular meetings with care coordinators and care teams to discuss individual care plans, and better meet an individual’s needs.

We are in the process of developing a fully co-produced training package with People Participation that will be offered to individuals and businesses across the whole of Anglia, and will consist of two sessions:

1) Mental Health Awareness
2) Suicide Prevention.

This will be delivered both online and face to face, to ensure accessibility and we hope will lead to more people in the community having the knowledge and confidence to respond to a mental health crisis.

  • We also plan to launch ‘Kindness Benches’, both in stations and in communities that are affected by suicide. These both encourage ‘brief contact interventions’; kind conversations that have the potential to make a person feel less isolated and alone but also signpost to services that can support a person that may be struggling to cope.

Four strategic outcomes have been identified:

  • Improved community recognition, intervention, and signposting to services for those experiencing a poor mental health or contemplating suicide.
  • Improved communication between each NHS organisation, British Transport Police, Network Rail and stakeholders to share intelligence around suicide.
  • Improved dissuasion messaging for those that may be contemplating ending their life on the railway.
  • Individualised support for those that are high frequency / high risk including the development of multi-agency care planning.
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