Louise McNally

Said the following about Samaritans Rail Training Team:

“Samaritans Rail Suicide Prevention Training Team: Creating an online training course in response to the cancellation of face-to-face training due to Covid restrictions

In March 2020, the Covid outbreak led to the immediate cancellation of all Samaritans face-to-face rail industry training courses.

The training team - Steve Tollerton, Jason Alexandre, Chris Berriman and Sheena Reeves - realised the Covid pandemic’s possible impact on the nation’s mental and emotional health and its subsequent effect on rail staff and personnel who would potentially have to deal with greater numbers of vulnerable people presenting at railway stations.

The pandemic accelerated the suicide prevention programme’s plan to create an online rail industry course. Within two weeks of the cancellation of the face-to-face sessions, the online Managing Suicidal Contacts - which aims to empower staff to have the confidence to reach out to those who may be vulnerable and in need of emotional support - were already being delivered to their first delegates. This was followed shortly by the Trauma Support Training courses’ online delivery.

Despite the pause in training to set up and publicise the availability of the new modules, the team achieved the incredible feat of training almost 2,300 staff in 2020/21.

The move to online courses also took away class size restrictions as the trainers no longer needed to operate within classroom size limitations. This change meant the average number of attendees per course rose from 10 (face-to-face) to 12 (online), so the team were able to train more delegates within fewer courses.

In spite of lockdown restrictions, there were still many interventions across the railways. British Transport Police say in 2020/21, 1,810 lifesaving interventions took place on the railway, demonstrating there has been a continued need to prepare and equip staff with the tools needed to support vulnerable people.

The training hasn’t just prepared staff to deal with members of the public struggling with the effects of the pandemic. Several staff reported using the listening skills to support their colleagues’ emotional health. Some of the delegates said,

“My son (age 18) has become increasingly suicidal over the last six months or so. This isn't exactly the situation that the MSC course envisaged but the skills I learnt on the course have helped me significantly in supporting him and also gave me the confidence to get him to A&E on one occasion - previously I wouldn't have thought of that for a mental health crisis, only for physical health matters. I've suggested Samaritans and other agencies to him.”

“I’ve not had to deal with suicidal issues but I have had several passengers on train who have been in dark/ bad place emotionally and mentally the lockdown hasn’t helped the situation. I was just able to listen for the short journey time we have.”

“Although I haven't engaged with a potentially suicidal person due to primarily working from home during Covid, I have found the skills I learned useful when supporting colleagues who have been struggling with lockdown and changes in how they're working. It complemented the learning I gained from becoming a Mental Health First Aider well.”

The training also gives staff important skills in understanding their own emotional wellbeing, which has been an essential ability during the pandemic. The course helps them consider where they might find support if they, or a colleague, needed it. Since lockdown, the post-training survey results indicate an incredible 83 percent of staff would be more likely to recommend support for a colleague if they needed it. Additionally, after attending our training, 61 percent said they would be more likely to seek assistance for themselves.

The past couple of years have been exceptionally difficult for everyone, particularly frontline rail staff who have been at the forefront of ensuring the railways continue running. The skills acquired on this course have undoubtedly enabled staff to gain resilience and help support members of the public who may be struggling.

The Samaritans training team have always focused on the wellbeing of rail staff and this was their priority in creating these current online courses. These sessions – either face-to-face or online – remain exceptionally popular among rail staff.

The essential continuation of this training has ensured staff have gained a vital life skill in emotional health which has helped support themselves, their family, friends, colleagues and members of the public during an extraordinary period of instability and unrest.“