Saving Lives, Building Trust: The Community Bleed Kit Partnership Model
A New Life Saving Initiative to help your safeguard your neighbourhood
Supported by Avon & Somerset Police and NHS
The Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership stands as a transformative model of community-driven, cross-sector collaboration that is directly saving lives. Born from a vision to tackle rising knife crime and trauma incidents, this initiative brings together Avon and Somerset Police, HeartSafe, NHS England South West, and the South Western Ambulance Service to put vital emergency response tools into the hands of everyday people.
At its heart is a simple but powerful idea: provide the public with accessible, easy-to-use Bleed Kits that can control catastrophic bleeding in the critical minutes before professional help arrives. These cost-effective kits—strategically placed in public locations and fully mapped for emergency services—are already making a difference, with over 700 kits deployed and many more on the way.
Inspired by lessons from the 2018 Kerslake Report on the Manchester Arena bombing, the initiative doesn’t just react to emergencies—it prepares for them. By prioritising accessibility, simplicity, open data mapping, and public ownership, the Bleed Kit Partnership has created a scalable, sustainable system for community resilience.
Key innovations—like affordable kit dispensers, lamppost-mounted units, and a volunteer-led installation model—have helped overcome barriers and fuel rapid growth. The campaign’s transparency, public trust, and ethical business involvement have driven unprecedented engagement, with demand from councils, schools, businesses, and charities surging across the region.
The impact is clear: approaching 1000 kits are nearly in place, hundreds more are in progress, and a blueprint that any UK community can adopt.
The Bleed Kit Partnership isn’t just a response to violence or accidents—it’s a proactive movement for community empowerment, public health, and shared responsibility. It’s proof that when agencies unite around a common purpose and invite the public to be part of the solution, lives are saved—and communities grow stronger.
It’s not just a local success story. It’s a national model ready to be replicated across the UK.
Will your community be next?
enquiries@heartsafe.org.uk
