Simple change at Merseyrail stations could save lives

Bleeding control kits have been installed at Merseyrail stations to help save the lives of stabbing victims.

Merseyrail and KnifeSavers have teamed up to install bleeding control kits on the Merseyrail network to enable bystanders to provide life-saving treatment to anyone who has suffered a stab wound. The kits are designed to provide the first aid necessary to reduce blood loss until emergency services arrive.

KnifeSavers gave demonstrations to the public on how to use the kits and treat stab wounds at Liverpool Central Station.

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People who have been stabbed can bleed to death in as little as five minutes. If they are able to call for help, it can take up to eight minutes for a rapid response ambulance to arrive on the scene.

In the event of an attack, KnifeSavers wants to educate the public on how to stop the bleeding and keep someone alive long enough to get them to an ambulance or hospital.

Nikhil Misra, 49, is a trauma surgeon at Aintree University Hospital and founded KnifeSavers in 2018 after his team in the Major Trauma Center dealt with “a small number of consecutive fatal stab wounds” .

He said: “We decided enough was enough, we had to do this better – take our knowledge and skills outside the hospital walls across the city and region.”

KnifeSavers regularly host events around the city, educating school children and young people about knife crime and bleeding control.

Mr Misra added: “We have trained nearly 5,000 people on how to recognize major bleeding, why it is important to act quickly and how to help people with potentially life-threatening injuries. We want to empower him to stand up and make a difference.”

He stressed the importance of educating people about the dangers of knife crime, adding: “One knife wound can be fatal – I don’t think many people know that. We want to instill this knowledge in the DNA of people who are not doctors, especially young people.”

Through fundraising, KnifeSavers has installed more than 2,500 bleeding control kits and nearly 60 bleeding control cabinets in public spaces across the region.

Laura Hughes, 41, is a community ambassador for KnifeSavers, helping to raise awareness of the initiative. She also runs her own fundraising collective, kNOwKnifeCrime, in memory of her brother Colin McGinty, who died from stab wounds in a case of mistaken identity aged 21.

She said: “It was absolutely terrible. Knife crime was not as prevalent as it is today, but now victims are getting younger and dying from a single stab wound every day.

“As a mom with teenage kids, I want to make sure we can resource every community with something to make it as safe as possible.”

Suzanne Grant, 44, commercial director of Merseyrail is one of the fundraisers working with kNOwKnifeCrime.

She said: “It is very important for us to provide bleeding control kits, not only for the safety of our passengers but also for the safety of the community.”

“They have been installed in defib cabinets in the ticket offices of every station on our network. By the end of this year, we will be moving the defibrillator cabinets so they can be accessed 24/7.”

Merseyrail staff have been trained in how to use spill control kits and Suzanne wants to make sure the rail operator is doing everything it can to keep people safe.

Ms Shaw added: “It’s not just about knife crime for us, it’s about providing a rescue kit for any incident that might happen at our stations or in the local community.”

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