Hospital Navigator scheme reaches key milestone

The Hospital Navigator scheme, where volunteers offer support and signposting to relevant services, has received its 1000th referral since 2022. 

The Hospital Navigator scheme was previously commissioned by Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit since 2022, in Wexham Park Hospital’s, Emergency Department. It has recently received its 1000th referral and had its funding extended to 2028, and is now funded by Slough Borough Council’s, Public Health Department and the Better Care Fund. 

The scheme continues to be delivered by Together As One and provides a co-ordinator to work with trained volunteers in the Emergency Department to offer support to those admitted in “risky circumstances”. They engage with children and young people who present for emergency treatment, either as a direct experience of violence or the possible root cause of violence.

Volunteer navigators are there to offer a friendly face, a chat and support, as well as signposting to relevant services. They also help to take the pressure off of the NHS teams. They discuss what help the young person needs and talk about their wider circumstances. Navigators will also follow up with the patient after they have been discharged, ensuring they receive the appropriate support within the community.

Councillor Ishrat Shah, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Wellbeing and Equalities said: “I am so pleased that we can support this invaluable service together with the Better Care Fund, the more that young people feel supported with any issue they are facing, the better the outcomes for them and in turn their loved ones.”

Rob Deeks, Chief Executive Officer, Together as One, said: “It is a privilege to collaborate with our partners in delivering this vital project, both at Wexham Park Hospital and throughout the wider community. We have seen first-hand how a listening ear in the Emergency Department can serve as the critical starting point for a life-transforming journey for young people impacted by poor mental health, substance use and violence.”