Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital

The Challenge
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest acute teaching hospital systems in the UK, with more than 23,700 staff across five hospitals and extensive community services. The Trust needed a robust, standardised approach to conflict management and personal safety, particularly for its security teams. Previous providers had been unable to fully meet the operational demands of a complex hospital environment, which includes clinical wards, accident and emergency departments, and large public areas. Security leaders sought a programme that combined legal compliance, clinical awareness, effective de-escalation, and safe, non-pain-compliant physical skills while being applicable across multiple sites.

Why Stand2 Was Chosen
Stand2 was selected after GSTT identified a gap between generic conflict management programmes and the highly specialised realities of hospital security. Stand2’s experience across NHS Trusts, emergency services, and high-risk healthcare environments, combined with its structured protocols and deep understanding of clinical contexts, made it the ideal partner. The Trust particularly valued Stand2’s commitment to safe, ethical interventions appropriate for healthcare and its ability to customise content to the day-to-day challenges security teams face.

What Training Was Delivered
Stand2 delivered a bespoke Train-the-Trainer programme for GSTT’s Security Department, equipping internal trainers with the knowledge and skills to provide consistent, high-quality instruction across the Trust. The programme covered conflict resolution aligned to NHS standards, non-pain-compliant physical skills, de-escalation, professional decision-making, and scenario exercises across a variety of hospital environments, including wards, emergency departments and public spaces. By focusing on sustainability, the programme enabled GSTT to embed high standards across multiple teams and sites, ensuring long-term consistency in practice.

Outcome / Impact
The training was widely praised by security leaders for delivering depth and operational applicability that had previously been missing. Security teams reported increased confidence and clearer approaches to managing challenging behaviour. The programme strengthened the Trust’s safety culture, enhanced staff preparedness and created a consistent, professional approach to conflict management, improving the experience and safety of patients, visitors and staff across one of the UK’s most complex healthcare environments.