More than one in five in the rail industry have the skills to identify and help vulnerable people to safety
- More than one in five in the rail industry have the skills to identify and help vulnerable people to safety
- In the past year, rail staff have helped more than 650 people, potentially saving their life
- As pandemic uncertainties persist, the charity is reminding the public that they too have the skills to help prevent suicide, as Small Talk Saves Lives
More than 25,000 railway staff have now been trained to identify and help vulnerable people, inside and outside of the rail network, thanks to Samaritans’ partnership with Network Rail and the wider rail industry.*
The milestone achievement sees more than one in five in the rail industry, including Network Rail, British Transport Police and train company staff, having taken part in the charity’s ‘Managing Suicidal Contacts’ course.** Since the partnership began in 2010, Samaritans has run around 1900 courses across Britain, to give rail employees the confidence and skills to look out for vulnerable people, teaching them how to start a conversation to get them to safety and onto further support.
In the past year, rail staff have helped more than 650 people to safety, potentially saving their life.*** The latest data comes as Samaritans reminds the public that whilst rail staff are there to help, they too can help save lives.
As pandemic uncertainties continue and the nation’s mental health is tested, the charity’s Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, in partnership with Network Rail and British Transport Police, is as crucial as ever. The campaign aims to encourage the public to use the skills they already have by simply starting a conversation if they see someone who needs help. In trusting their instincts, a little small talk and simple question can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and help start them on the journey to recovery.
A Samaritans survey highlighted the benefits small talk can have, with over half of respondents saying it can make people feel less lonely (57%) and boost their own mental health and wellbeing (45%), as well as showing others that people care and want to help them (28%).****
Mobile Security Officer Karl, age 31, from Lingwood Security Management in partnership with Network Rail, was the 25000th delegate to do Samaritans’ suicide prevention training this year. Three weeks later, Karl helped save a man’s life.
Karl said: “My colleague and I were patrolling one of our train stations and we noticed a man sat down in the platform shelter. He was leant over and had his head in his arms crying. We went over and asked him if he was alright, and he said ‘no I’m upset, I don’t want to be here anymore’ - so I knew we had to stay with him and try and help him. We were talking for about 20 or 30 minutes, but he was shivering. I said he could get warm inside my truck around the corner. He was hesitant at first, but he agreed to come with us. He didn’t stop crying the whole time we were with him. We called for an ambulance and just before he got in, he threw his arms around me and thanked me and my colleague. I was so happy that we saved a life that day and that’s thanks to the Samaritans course.”
Karl added: “Mental health and looking out for people is really important to me. I went through a bad stage myself a few years ago and from my personal experience of being at the lowest of the low and having people, my partner and my mates, there for me to talk to and raise me up again, I’m so much stronger for it. I know I didn’t speak about it until it was almost too late. Since then, I just want to encourage others to talk, especially men.”
Samaritans Head of Rail Programme Olivia Cayley said: “We’re so grateful to the rail industry and inspired by their commitment to look out for others every day and save lives. This milestone is a testament to our invaluable 12-year partnership. We’ve worked hard over the pandemic years to move our training online to continue to reach and train more staff.
“We know the pandemic has had a huge impact on the nation’s mental health and that will be felt for a long time – but suicide is preventable, and the public can help too. We hope it’s comforting to know that rail staff and British Transport Police are out there to help, but we want to urge people to keep their eyes peeled, trust their instincts, and start a conversation. You won’t make the situation worse and saying something is better than nothing at all - a simple question can be enough to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and save a life.”
Louise McNally, suicide prevention and trespass lead at Network Rail said: “Suicide is not inevitable and thanks to the work of the rail industry and our partners like Samaritans we have made significant strides tackling these tragic events on and around the railways. This 25,000 milestone is a fantastic achievement and we look forward to seeing even more lives positively impacted as a result of the wide range of training options available to rail industry staff to identify and support vulnerable people.”
Find out more about Small Talk Saves Lives at: www.samaritans.org/smalltalksaveslives or join the conversation on social media using #SmallTalkSavesLives.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call for free on 116 123, email [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Due to the proven link between certain types of media reporting of suicide and increases in suicide rates, please be mindful of Samaritans’ Media Guidelines for Reporting Suicide and Rail Suicide factsheet.
- *Data from Samaritans, 2010-2022
- **Figures calculated using ONS data of no. of employees from train companies, as well as Network Rail, BTP.
- ***Intervention Data from Network Rail, Samaritans and BTP, shows 657 interventions by rail staff, from 01 April 2021 to 05 March 2022.
- ****Survey was carried out by YouGov from 2-4 July 2021 with a total sample size of 2224 adults. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
- The rail industry and British Transport Police (BTP) work in partnership with Samaritans to reduce suicides on the railway and support those affected by them. As well as suicide prevention training, the programme aims to work with the railway and within the wider community to de-stigmatise suicide and promote help-seeking behaviour.
- Samaritans’ Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, in partnership with Network Rail and British Transport Police initially launched in 2017 after research showed passengers have a key role to play in suicide prevention.
- Anyone can contact Samaritans for free any time from any phone on 116 123, which won’t show up on a phone bill, or email [email protected] or visit http://www.samaritans.org/