A collaborative approach
Tamar Crossings have worked closely with STORM® Skills Training CIC, mental health professionals, the emergency services and specialist groups, including the Samaritans, to develop a positive intervention programme.
As well as providing their staff with specialist training to support them to positively engage with vulnerable people while keeping themselves safe, they also have:
This follows guidance issued by Public Health England to help prevent vulnerable people from harming themselves which is in line with their Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Working with Public Health professionals
Tamar Crossings work closely with Public Health professionals from both sides of the river. Sarah Lees, from Plymouth City Council’s Public Health team said:
“We support Tamar Crossings’ comprehensive public safety programme which meets the Public Health England guidance and helps support people in crisis”
The Public Health England guidance sets out four key areas of action:
The parapets on the Tamar Bridge are 1.5 metres high, and are amongst the highest on any major bridge in the UK. They also have high quality lighting both on the Bridge, and in the car park and surrounding areas.
The team have worked with the Samaritans to provide signs at the entrance at both sides of the Bridge. On the advice of the Samaritans it was decided not to put repeater signs across the Bridge or to provide emergency telephones as most people have mobile phones.
Feedback from staff
One of the members of staff at Tamar Bridge providing support to vulnerable people is Recovery Vehicle driver Alan Dunville. Alan’s role means that he is often the first point of contact for a ‘concern for welfare incident’ and he wanted to feel more confident about what to do, and more importantly, what not to do. Alan said:
“While the emergency services arrive very quickly, it usually takes a few minutes, and those few minutes might make all the difference. I wanted to ensure that I knew what to do and what to say. The STORM® training has helped to give me that confidence”.
Damien Smith is the Coatings Manager for contractors Taziker Industrial. His staff work on and underneath the deck on the Bridge and a number of them have chosen to do the STORM® training. Damien said:
“As front-line staff they often come across a vulnerable person before anyone else can react. No-one is going to just walk past someone who is in crisis and the support and training provided by the Bridge team means that they feel confident in providing support”
Plans for the future
Tamar Crossings will continue to work with partners to review and develop their positive intervention programme including networking extensively with other crossing operators through national and international forums. They are also an active member of the Plymouth Suicide Prevention Strategic Partnership.
“We believe that everyone has a role to play in helping people who are in distress. By combining physical safety measures and the use of technology on the crossings with specialist training for our staff, our positive intervention programme is helping to ensure that we are playing our part in keeping people safe.”
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A Clinical Psychologist by background, Dr Isabela Troya completed her degree in her home country of Ecuador. Soon after completing her degree, she moved to London to study a master’s degree in Global Mental Health at King’s College London.
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