Samaritans’ training helps railway staff to reduce suicides
New figures released today show a promising 11 per cent decline
in suicides on the railways across Great Britain
Embargoed until 00:01 hours Friday 17 June 2011
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More than 1,000 staff at 220 locations across the rail network
have received Samaritans’ innovative suicide prevention training
over the past year. This training forms part of a partnership
between Network Rail and Samaritans to reduce railway suicides by
20 per cent over five years launched in January 2010.
New figures released today (Friday 17 June) reveal that,
following 233 suicides in 2009/20101 across Great
Britain, the number of deaths for the year 2010/2011 has fallen to
207 – accounting for an 11 per cent decrease.
With £5 million of Network Rail investment, the five-year
project includes:
- Intervention training for staff: Frontline rail staff and
British Transport Police (BTP) are trained in making the initial
approach to encourage someone away from potential danger, before
offering emotional support services.
- Support for drivers after a trauma: Drivers can
experience symptoms such as flashbacks and sleeplessness in the
aftermath of a death. This training ensures drivers who witness
fatalities on the rail network are fully supported by
managers.
- Samaritans’ support for individuals: Local Samaritans’
volunteers are called out to offer the service to emotionally
vulnerable individuals at railway stations.
- Looking after witnesses: Samaritans’ volunteers provide
face-to-face visits at stations in the aftermath of a suicide
offering support to staff and witnesses, and handing out contact
cards with details of the helpline.
- BTP referral process: British Transport Police refer vulnerable
and suicidal people they encounter in and around stations to
Samaritans.
- Awareness campaign targeting those most at risk: Nearly
80 per cent (79.1%) of rail suicides are by men. Samaritans’
national awareness campaign specifically targets working class men
in their 30s, 40s and 50s, who are the most likely of all to die by
suicide on the railways, with prominent posters and advertising
around stations and at automatic ticket barriers.
- Guidance to the media in reporting rail suicides: Samaritans
works with the media to encourage responsible reporting of suicides
in order to reduce the likelihood of copycat deaths.
Rachel Kirby-Rider, Director of Fundraising and Communications
at Samaritans, said: "Whilst the latest railway suicide figures are
promising, the next few years could see rising unemployment and an
increase in financial worries which may negatively impact on the
nation’s wellbeing. We cannot afford to be complacent and that is
why this programme of work shows our commitment to ensuring the
figures decline year on year.
"This partnership is the first coordinated national approach to
suicide prevention on the rail network. We are pleased to see that,
within the first year of delivering the project we already have
examples of staff being able to intervene in potentially tragic
situations."
David Higgins, Chief Executive at Network Rail, said: "We
know that rail staff who have undertaken Samaritans’ training
programme have already been able to intervene in potential
suicides. Each suicide is a tragedy for the individuals and
families involved, as well as having an inevitable impact on rail
staff and passenger. It is encouraging that the rail industry is
pulling together to work with Samaritans who have provided a
responsive and professional service to our staff."
Media Briefing
For more information about the project, including regional
figures, please see our Media Briefing
Samaritans
and Network Rail Update Media Briefing
Case studies & videos
We have case studies available for interview. Watch these short
videos of some of them speaking about their experiences. Click to
view:
Lisa Clay: A
station customer services assistant who has already benefited from
the scheme and intervened to prevent a woman from taking her own
life.
Paul Trigwell: An
East Midlands Trains employee who experienced a suicide when he was
driving a train.
Mark Goodall: A
Network Rail employee involved in the partnership who is also a
volunteer for Samaritans.
Steve Tollerton: A
Samaritans’ expert who delivers the training to rail staff.
For more information, case studies, a background briefing and to
book interviews please contact Sal Lalji, Press & PR Manager at
Samaritans on 020 8394 8342, out of hours on 07943 809 162 or email
press@samaritans.org
Notes to Editors
1. Figures are for the financial year 01 April 2009 to 31 March
2010 and 01 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 from the Rail Safety and
Standards Board.
Please report this story responsibly – don’t identify specific
suicide hotspots and avoid giving too many details of past rail
suicides and the locations in which they took place as this may
lead to copycat suicides in local areas. There is substantial
evidence to prove that vulnerable people are at risk of using
information that identifies specific locations and techniques to
kill themselves, which we are working hard to avoid.
http://www.samaritans.org/media_centre/guide_to_reporting_suicide.aspx
Samaritans is here for anyone feeling down and depressed, or for
those people who are struggling to cope. Our volunteers are
available 24/7 by phone: (UK) 08457 90 90 90, (ROI) 1850 60 9090,
email: jo@samaritans.org, or
face-to-face: visit www.samaritans.org for details of
your local branch.
Network Rail is the 'not for dividend' owner and operator of
Britain’s railway infrastructure, which includes the tracks,
signals, tunnels, bridges, viaducts, level crossings and stations –
the largest of which they also manage. Network Rail aims to provide
a safe, reliable and efficient rail infrastructure for freight and
passenger trains to use.