Security team offer helping hand to homeless
Big-hearted security staff are offering a helping hand to homeless people who congregate at Northwick Park Hospital every night.
The team use an app called Streetlink to alert the homeless charity St Mungo's to people who may need help.
Luke Redhead, Security Manager at LNWH Trust, said: “We report around 40-50 incidents a month. One of the most common issues is people tailgating staff into areas that are closed to the public after 9pm.
"They are often looking for somewhere to sleep for the night. The blood test area and the stairwells are the favoured spots.
“We do get our fair share of troublemakers and people who don't want assistance, but for those who do, we offer a helping hand through Streetlink and St Mungo's.
"There have been fewer people recently because emergency shelters open when the temperature drops below freezing, giving them somewhere safe to stay.”
The security team launched the Gemini project last May when they were reporting more than 100 homeless and antisocial behaviour incidents a month around the hospital.
Incidents have more than halved since then after the security team partnered with the police, who run a similar initiative, to help compile and share a database of individuals and incidents.
The project focuses on supporting vulnerable people through engagement and outreach while ensuring the safety of staff, patients, and visitors.