Hospital Security Guard, TV Personality, Reflects on Job and Award

A security guard based in Nottinghamshire has stated that his recent television exposure has “changed the dynamic” of his professional role. Leston Scafe, widely recognized by his nickname Sugar, has appeared in multiple installments of the Channel 4 program “24 hours in A&E,” a series that spotlights the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. He expressed, “I love my job. I love to help people, and in hospital you have some vulnerable people who really need that help.” His increasing public recognition culminated in him receiving the Security Officer of the Year award at this year’s National Association of Healthcare Security Awards. Mr. Scafe, 51, who hails from Kirkby in Ashfield, previously served as a prison officer before transitioning to hospital security five years ago. Despite his profession and his imposing stature of 6ft (1.82m), he characterizes himself as a “big teddy.” He elaborated, “To be a good security guard you have to be yourself and love people, be kind. Because if you are kind to someone, treat them right, you are going to treat them fairly. And if you are treating someone the way you would like to be treated, that’s even better, with my role, I’m doing that day-by-day at work, it is something that comes naturally to me, that’s just the way I am.” During the 2022-23 period, the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust documented over 1,800 incidents involving aggression, violence, and harassment, marking a 50% increase from the preceding year. Mr. Scafe commented, “If someone wants to fight or is being rude, I just try to show them that is not the way. I treat them with respect and care and they then have respect for you and everyone will be happy.” Despite his optimistic outlook, the inherent hazards of the job are underscored by the 15lb (7kg) stab vest he is required to wear. He noted, “We have to walk around in this, in the cold or in the heat. In the winter it keeps you a bit warmer but in the summer it is really hot, it is not a nice thing to wear, but it is part of the job.” This aspect of the job has become a routine occurrence. “It’s every day. I’m not talking last week or last month, it’s every day,” he affirmed. “It’s because people come in with problems and some come in to the hospital to fight and we have to deal with it. But I have great colleagues and we are in it together and we work together.” He continued, “Some people recognise what we are doing but you have some who do not care, who come into the hospital to create problems. We are there to make sure staff and patients are safe and we have to maintain that but to a level where we are not open to criticism. But you still have some people who will criticise because they can’t get what they want or they can’t do what they want to do.” Mr. Scafe, whose moniker originated from his fondness for sweets as an infant, attained celebrity status through the observational documentary series, a development that occurred almost by chance. “I did it because when they TV people asked, no-one else wanted to do it,” he explained. “I said ‘fine’, and just had these cameras around – but I soon got used to it and most of the time I forget I have got them or the microphone on me. It has completely changed the dynamic of the job. People now see that its not just about trouble, it’s about helping the hospital run better.” He mentioned that being approached for photographs made him feel “really good,” but an even greater sense of job satisfaction stemmed from receiving the award. “It was epic, I was over the moon,” he recounted. “It’s not something that happens every day – in fact we struggled to find a tux to fit me, because I’m a big guy. For everything I have achieved I have to say thank you to the managers and staff that have supported me to get this far.”