Redthread’s Youth Violence Intervention Programme began over ten years ago in partnership with King’s College Hospital in Lambeth, the MTC for South East London, Kent and Medway, where the programme is now run by five full-time members of staff. King’s commitment to the community it serves, alongside their belief and enthusiasm in the core messages of Redthread’s philosophy has been central to the Programme’s success and development. Here’s to the next ten years!

In October 2014, St Mary’s became the second hospital to join our programme. By opening its doors to us the Major Trauma Centre, which covers the North West quadrant of London, has made it possible for us to reach out to hundreds more vulnerable young people through the Teachable Moment every year, and steered Redthread into becoming a pan-London organisation.

The programme was rolled out at St George’s Hospital in April 2015. Staff and patients alike have been quick to take to Redthread and the programme, and our youth workers were greeted with great enthusiasm and support from day one. Located in Tooting, St George’s is the MTC for South West London and is perfectly placed to collaborate with the team at King’s, and to make use of the variety of services our Well Centre can offer young people.

The Royal London is the MTC which covers the North East quadrant of London and, since April 2015, has hosted the Youth Violence Intervention Programme in partnership with St Giles Trust.

We know that young people attend their local A&E four or five times before attending a Major Trauma Centre. We hope that through our service to Homerton University Hospital, a local A&E department, we will be able to meet young people earlier and before they reach crisis point.

As of February 2018 our Youth Violence Intervention Programme launched in Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. QMC hosts the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre and was opened in 2012.

In July 2018 we launched in two hospitals in Birmingham – Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Heartlands Hospital.

Both Nottingham and Birmingham are part of a three year Midlands pilot.

The support offered by KAOS is different for every young person admitted to the hospital and personal to their situation; it is moulded around their health needs and wider goals. Listening and providing a non-judgemental, safe space is at the core of what the service does. The KAOS youth workers make an initial visit to the young person at their bed-side on the ward and engage them in a broad health-based conversation. This can touch on various issues, such as: mental and sexual health, alcohol and drugs, diet, sleep, nutrition, social media and safety. Depending on the length of admission, the youth workers will continue to visit them, working with their families and the medical team to support their immediate care and path to recovery and discharge.

The KAOS team consists of four core members; Dr Hannah Baynes, Dr Simon Chapman, Chris Evans and Zahra Sarwar, both Redthread youth workers. The team is also supported by over 30 professionals across the King’s College Hospital site, representing a breadth of professions and specialities. Each day, the team will identify adolescent patients across the hospital, meet with these patients and work with their medical and surgical teams to ensure that their needs are being met not only physically, but also emotionally and socially.

The service is part of King’s College Hospital’s wider vision to become a young person friendly hospital by improving the suitability, accessibility, quality and safety of services for young people. You can get in touch with Hannah, Simon, Chris or Zahra on: kch-tr.KAOSReferrals@nhs.net

Amy had a rare gastrointestinal condition and was admitted to King’s to undergo several bowel procedures. A KAOS Youth Worker initially spoke to Amy over the phone, when the team were still working remotely. This support appeared to initially help Amy build up a trust and rapport with the Youth Worker, as she reported quite acute social anxiety when meeting new people face to face. The first few calls allowed Amy to express her worries about her physical health along with plans for the future. They provided her with a space to begin separating her different anxieties and factors influencing her mood. With the prospect of further investigations and uncertainty during her admission, the calls were also a chance for Amy to discuss relaxation techniques that she could utilise when going for scans. During this time, Amy also informed the Youth Worker that she had been waiting for a referral to be processed by CAMHS in her local area. The Youth Worker contacted this team and was able to update them on Amy’s current mood and concerns, and to ascertain when Amy’s support would begin.

When Amy was discharged, the KAOS Youth Worker continued to support Amy over a series of 4-6 sessions over the phone. During these calls, Amy and the Youth Worker explored goals that she felt could benefit her physical, social and mental health. As such, together they developed strategies that could help Amy’s sleep and eating pattern. Both factors Amy had wanted to work on for some time, but only now did she feel the strength and motivation to do so with the support of the KAOS team.

*Name and identifiable features have been changed.