Bleeding control kits to be launched in Liverpool nightspots

Special bleeding control kits designed to save the lives of stabbing victims are to be placed in pubs and nightclubs around Liverpool.

The packs, which contain scissors, gloves, tourniquets and a chest wound sealant, have been launched as part of a safety campaign led by a surgeon.

Nikhil Misra said new ideas were needed to fight the "epidemic" of knife crime.

There have been 48 stabbings in Merseyside this year, of which four were fatal.

Mr Misra is a consultant trauma surgeon at Aintree Hospital, home to the major trauma centre that serves Merseyside and Cheshire.

He came up with the treatment kits, called KnifeSavers, after seeing cases of serious knife crime rise year-on-year.

Mr Misra said: "What we're seeing is an increase in the number of young people dying.

"We decided about 18 months ago that enough is enough. We need to fight back and today is the start of that fight back."

Mr Misra said the packs contained "pieces of almost military-grade kit which have been designed to stop bleeding".

The surgeon said he was confident anybody would be able to use the kits, and representatives from the scheme have planned a range of educational talks in schools as well as running events for bar workers.

It is hoped the scheme could eventually be rolled out nationally, with packs also appearing in places such as schools and supermarkets.

Nationally, there were 43,516 recorded knife crime offences over the 2018-19 financial year, according to Home Office figures, the largest number ever recorded.

The KnifeSavers scheme has been funded via an NHS grant of £25,000, with ongoing costs to be met via charitable donations.

An initial set of about 100 free kits have been given out.

Further kits would be dependant on fundraising, Mr Misra said.