Street Assist Edinburgh
Street Assist Edinburgh provides immediate support, advice and first aid to a wide range of people.
Background
Street Assist (SCIO) is amulti-award-winning charity, our work has been recognised by Police Scotland,
Scottish Ambulance Service, Forth Radio, Edinburgh Evening News and Proud Scotland amongst
others.
The charity was founded in April 2016 with the aim of helping reduce vulnerability within the busy
Night-Time Economy hours within the City of Edinburgh. In April 2017 we were awarded Scottish
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) status.
Scottish Ambulance Service, Forth Radio, Edinburgh Evening News and Proud Scotland amongst
others.
The charity was founded in April 2016 with the aim of helping reduce vulnerability within the busy
Night-Time Economy hours within the City of Edinburgh. In April 2017 we were awarded Scottish
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) status.
Aims, Objectives and Delivery
Street Assist operates every Friday and Saturday from 22.00 to 04.00 providing a non-judgemental
welfare/first aid service to help people who have become vulnerable during the busy Night-Time
Economy hours. We aim to support our emergency services and reduce the number of people
presenting at Accident and Emergency (A&E) unnecessarily for intoxication and minor injuries. We
have 130 volunteers who have committed to the project from many backgrounds including people
who work in the health/care professions, students studying relevant subjects where volunteering with
us helps to gain the public facing experience required for their future employment, people looking for
experience to help them join the emergency services and many others who just want to contribute
and make a difference.
We provide support to people who have presented to us during their moment of crisis, mostly people
who have over consumed (drink & drugs), spiking, suffering from mental health issues, victims of
assault, sexual assault, domestic assault. We have helped in finding people who have been reported
missing, people who have lost their friends, helped people recharge their phones, reunite them with
their lost friends with the aim of making sure people don’t come to further harm and that we can
organise a safe route home for them.
welfare/first aid service to help people who have become vulnerable during the busy Night-Time
Economy hours. We aim to support our emergency services and reduce the number of people
presenting at Accident and Emergency (A&E) unnecessarily for intoxication and minor injuries. We
have 130 volunteers who have committed to the project from many backgrounds including people
who work in the health/care professions, students studying relevant subjects where volunteering with
us helps to gain the public facing experience required for their future employment, people looking for
experience to help them join the emergency services and many others who just want to contribute
and make a difference.
We provide support to people who have presented to us during their moment of crisis, mostly people
who have over consumed (drink & drugs), spiking, suffering from mental health issues, victims of
assault, sexual assault, domestic assault. We have helped in finding people who have been reported
missing, people who have lost their friends, helped people recharge their phones, reunite them with
their lost friends with the aim of making sure people don’t come to further harm and that we can
organise a safe route home for them.
Outcomes and Partnerships
Since January 2017 we have assisted over 4000 people many of whom would have ended up in A&E
had we not been operational which equates to a £3.4million saving in terms of costs, resources and
staffing for Police, Ambulance and NHS staff who are able to deal with real public safety issues and
real medical emergencies. We have made many interventions where the outcome for the individual
could have been much worse had we not been there and on at least 3 occasions where we have
probably made a lifesaving intervention. We take referrals from Police, Ambulance, CCTV, Community
Wardens, Taxi Marshals/Companies, Lothian Buses, Pub/Club Door Stewards, Street Pastors,
Edinburgh University Security, and members of the public.
We work in Partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council Community Safety Partnership, Police
Scotland,NHS Lothian, and many other operators within the Edinburgh Night-Time Economyto ensure
vulnerability is addressed at a much earlier stage and to ensure people come to no further harm.
had we not been operational which equates to a £3.4million saving in terms of costs, resources and
staffing for Police, Ambulance and NHS staff who are able to deal with real public safety issues and
real medical emergencies. We have made many interventions where the outcome for the individual
could have been much worse had we not been there and on at least 3 occasions where we have
probably made a lifesaving intervention. We take referrals from Police, Ambulance, CCTV, Community
Wardens, Taxi Marshals/Companies, Lothian Buses, Pub/Club Door Stewards, Street Pastors,
Edinburgh University Security, and members of the public.
We work in Partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council Community Safety Partnership, Police
Scotland,NHS Lothian, and many other operators within the Edinburgh Night-Time Economyto ensure
vulnerability is addressed at a much earlier stage and to ensure people come to no further harm.
Operation Nightguard
Every weekend in Edinburgh city centre Operation Nightguard is in place to prevent disorder and provide reassurance to the public.
Dedicated teams of officers from Police Scotland are deployed on foot during the evening and night time to prevent incidents, assist vulnerable people and ensure that everyone gets home safely.
Police Scotland are always out and about supported by The City of Edinburgh Council who have additional staff out including taxi marshals, environmental wardens, night time teams and CCTV operators.
Police Scotland also work with volunteers from Edinburgh Street Pastors, Street Assist Edinburgh and other outreach services who are on hand to help and support vulnerable people.
