Islington Council installs bleed control kits to help save lives

Working with charities Your City Says No and the Daniel Baird Foundation, the council is distributing 24 bleed control kits to residents and businesses in the Hillrise area, so that they are easy to access in the event of a stabbing or any other emergency involving traumatic injury.

Five more bleed control cabinets will be installed at New Orleans Hall, Brickworks Community Centre, Islington Boxing Club, Holland Walk and Hornsey Lane Estate. Residents will be given access to these by emergency call handlers if they phone 999.

The kits contain special dressings and bandages, which have been designed to seal wounds and control serious bleeding, as well as basic instructions. The vital few minutes after an injury or wound occurs are often paramount in preventing death in the cases of severe bleeding. This is why ‘zero responders’, members of the public who are the very first people to arrive on the scene, need to be able to quickly access the kits and start using them immediately. Residents can call 999 to be directed to the nearest kit from the national database.

Cllr Sue Lukes, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: “We stand with our communities to make sure they feel safe, connected and inclusive.

“I want to thank all the businesses, organisations and residents who have offered to house one of the bleed control kits – they are doing a great service to the community. Each kit we have in Islington could potentially save the life of someone’s friend, partner or family member. We very much hope they will never be needed, but they could make the difference between life and death.

“We want to help empower local people to take ownership over their neighbourhoods and to be our partners in keeping our communities safe.  No one is safe until we are all safe.”

Lynne Baird MBE, founder of The Daniel Baird Foundation, said: "We are delighted to see the 24-hour public access bleed control kit cabinets in Islington.  

"The cabinets are situated in busy locations and should there be an incident, easily accessible by calling 999 and obtaining a code from the operator, who will issue instructions on use. The bleed control kits are for use in the event of a catastrophic bleed such as a road or workplace accident, as well as a violent incident. These kits have already saved lives and The Daniel Baird Foundation would like to see them in every village, town and city in the UK.

"Well done Islington Council and the Community Safety team!"

The kits are being distributed as part of the Safer Hillrise Project, which aims to address youth violence in the area through collaboration with the community and the police. For example, first aid training, delivered by StreetDoctors, will be made available to young people, community leaders and other residents.

Other elements of the project include: regular meetings for the community to engage in an open discussion about safety issues with the council’s Community Safety team; bike maintenance courses delivered by the Metropolitan Police for young people at risk of violence and exploitation; early intervention work in schools to teach pupils about knife crime awareness delivered by the Ben Kinsella Trust, as well as targeted work with young people who are potential knife carriers; and, new training for businesses and service providers to empower local communities to spot signs of exploitation and take action to prevent violence.

Residents are invited to join the council’s ‘Community Conversations’ events to have their say on safety in Islington.