The Street Clinic: 10 Young Lives on the Frontline of Gang Culture - Hardcover

by Dorcas Gwata (Author)

A Radio 4 Book of the Week

'Fascinating . . . While the rest of us are worrying about it, Dorcas Gwata is doing something about it' - HHJ Wendy Joseph, author of Unlawful Killings

'The appetite for medical memoirs has never been greater . . . a welcome and important addition' - The Independent, Books to Look Out for in 2026

Through the lives of ten young people an award-winning nurse reveals the impact of gang culture on mental health.

Dorcas Gwata is an award-winning nurse specialising in mental health. She has worked closely with vulnerable young people exposed to the knife crime, sexual exploitation, drug use and poor mental health associated with gangs. In The Street Clinic, we accompany her in her work as she meets and cares for young people on the street and on their terms.

We meet Fuz, who is on trial for aggravated assault. There's Abdul, who's exploring his sexuality and has been humiliated online. Louise's promising future is compromised by her controlling boyfriend. And there's Zane, whose parents' divorce opens up an emotional hole in his life that's plugged by an ill-chosen new friendship.

Drawing on her own experiences of loss and social injustice, and twenty-five years on the NHS frontline, Dorcas offers a bird's-eye view of London: its multicultural population, wealth inequalities, tireless healthcare professionals, and an NHS that doesn't always work for everyone. And she asks the big questions: What lies behind London's youth violence crisis? What is its impact on the mental health of its victims? How are the families of our young people and the wider community affected?

Exposing some uncomfortable truths about British society, The Street Clinic is also a powerful story of resilience, strength and, ultimately, hope.

With photographs by Chanel Pinnock

Author Biography

Dorcas Gwata is an award-nurse specializing in mental health, a Global Mental Health consultant and an adviser at Global Health Partnerships. She is an accident-and-emergency specialist nurse and has worked within multi-agency teams in the UK and with global-health partnerships focusing on Africa and Asia. Her work with young people and families affected by gang culture in London grew out of innovative evidence-based research in low-income countries extrapolated to high-income countries, improving mental health outcomes in vulnerable groups while addressing health inequalities in the UK. The Street Clinic is her first book.