Tag: defibrillator

Dobbies team members in Edinburgh won’t miss a beat with new lifesaving CPR training

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, has rolled out a potentially lifesaving defibrillator and CPR training programme in Edinburgh supporting the British Heart Foundation (BHF), to help improve survival rates from cardiac arrest.  

There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, but less than one in ten people survive, often because those around them don’t have the skills or confidence to perform CPR.   

Now to help save more lives, Dobbies’ 4,000 team members across all 76 of its stores, including Edinburgh, and its Central Support Office are being encouraged to complete RevivR – the BHF’s online tool which teaches vital CPR skills for free in just 15 minutes – and all that is needed is a mobile phone and a firm cushion to practice on.   

RevivR shows how to recognise a cardiac arrest, gives feedback on chest compressions and outlines the correct steps of using a defibrillator, giving anyone the confidence to help in the ultimate medical emergency.  

The retailer has also committed to registering all of its 77 defibrillators, one in each store and Central Support Office, on The Circuit2, the national defibrillator network, which connects defibrillators to NHS ambulance services across the UK. This ensures in those crucial moments after a cardiac arrest, they can be accessed quickly to help save lives. 

Paul Green, Head of People Experience, at Dobbies, said: “We are proud to be working with the British Heart Foundation on this important initiative, which we hope will help save lives.

“We want to enable all our team at the Edinburgh store to learn CPR and to know how simple defibrillators are to use. We are committed to creating a safe environment for our customers and our team, and I am proud to celebrate this landmark moment for our stores.” 

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation said: “A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and it could happen to someone you love.

“Knowing what to do in those vital moments could mean the difference between life and death. We want to thank Dobbies for their support and for working with us to make sure even more people have the skills they need to save a life.” 

To find out more about RevivR please visit: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/how-to-do-cpr/learn-cpr-in-15-minutes  

Visit TheCircuit.UK for more information or to register your defibrillator.   

Woman reunited with SAS emergency responder who saved her life

A woman who had a cardiac arrest in the Botanic Gardens has been reunited with one of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) staff members who saved her life.

Jeanne Reilly, of Berkshire, recently returned to Edinburgh with family and friends to attend the unveiling of a new defibrillator installed at the same location where she collapsed on July 30 last year.

Her friend Jane Wood, who was with Jeanne when she went into arrest, instigated the efforts to have the defibrillator installed, and raised £2086 through family and friends.

A retired GP and an off duty doctor performed CPR immediately and used a nearby defib while an emergency call was placed with the Scottish Ambulance Service, which was received by Lindsey Brady, of West Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) in Glasgow.

Aidan Colliar and Audrey Michie, of the East ACC in Edinburgh, then dispatched Nickie Crowe, on a Paramedic Response Unit, and ambulance crew Ian Harwood and Ricky Moffat, of Dalkeith Station.

They arrived within two minutes of the call being received and Jeanne was transported to hospital and “kept alive” in the ambulance on the way to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Jeanne said: “I was very pleased to see the newly installed defibrillator at the Terrace Café and it was a privilege to meet ambulance crew member Ian in person.

“We have all since spoken so fondly of the opportunity to meet together. Shiona Mackie, the retired GP, met us all again shortly after and gave us a tour of the Botanics in her capacity as a volunteer tour guide – that was special too. 

“I was thrilled that Ian had driven so quickly from the Botanics to the Hospital. Putting names to faces and filling in some gaps in my experience has given me a sense of peace.”

Speaking of the cardiac arrest, she said she was given CPR and a defibrillator was used prior to the crew arriving. She added: “They arrived very quickly and then took me to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, giving me another shock in the ambulance.

“I spent 12 days in hospital, have a stent and ICD fitted and I am on the mend to lead a normal life again. I owe my life to all involved. I have been able to thank others personally, and my family and myself send thanks and more to the crew.”

She said it was vital for people to learn CPR skills for this year’s Restart a Heart Day on Sunday.

“Had it not been for the quick thinking of everyone, I would not be back to enjoying life. The expertise of the ambulance paramedics kept me alive while I made the journey to the Edinburgh Infirmary. The medical team in ICU took over from there.

“I hope that more people are educated about where to find a defibrillator and how to use one, so that the percentage of those who survive a cardiac arrest out of hospital can increase.”

To find out more about CPR, visit the Save a Life for Scotland website at www.savealife.scot

Defibrillator for Drylaw Church

Drylaw Parish Church has just installed an external defibrillator at the front door of the church for community use.

As you probably know you do not need any training or prior information to be able to use this; instructions are on the unit itself, indicating that anyone wanting to use it should phone 999 and then are given the code to open the unit. 

The unit is on the left hand side of the front door, and is bright yellow.

This installation is part of an Edinburgh-wide church project, initiated by the Church of Scotland and now extending to other denominations and other faith traditions. 

It reflects the churches’ commitment to support health and well-being. This is in conjunction with St John’s Ambulance Defibs across the city of Edinburgh.

Here in Drylaw Parish Church we are seeking to support health in other ways as well. We are just starting to offer contributions towards mental health, in partnership with Pilton Community Health Project. See below a flyer with information about that:

Capacitar, an internationally used way to support people enabling them to support themselves. This is running on Mondays lunchtimes at 12.30pm and is open to anyone, professionals and local people, who might appreciate 45 minutes of body/mind relaxation and reflection.

In time, we hope this could become a hybrid group, allowing local people to do this in person in the church building. People can refer themselves, simply emailing for the link as indicated.

Minister – Jenny Williams

Groathill Road, North jwilliams@churchofscotland.org.uk
Edinburgh 07935 723 968
EH4 4RG
0131 332 6863

drylawparishchurch@btinternet.com

Save A Life for Scotland: Ensuring more people can use defibrillators and CPR to save lives

With increased awareness over the weekend on how CPR and defibrillators can save lives, the Scottish Ambulance Service is working with Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) to ensure more people know what to do when they witness someone suffering a cardiac arrest.

There are crucial elements required to save a life when someone is in cardiac arrest, and which we refer to as the ‘Chain of Survival’. The first of these steps is to ensure that people can identify when a cardiac arrest is happening, and there is a defibrillator in the community.

This is followed by early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation to restart the heart; timely hospital care, and appropriate aftercare. 

Pauline Howie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, says: “Working with the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) campaign and other partners, we want to increase the survivability rates of those who go into cardiac arrest in Scotland.

“Cardiac arrest can affect anyone, of any age at any time or place. It’s vital that we can encourage people to feel more comfortable in calling 999 and to deliver bystander CPR and defibrillation if witnessing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. 

“Over the last five years, the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) partnership has equipped over 640,000 people with CPR skills, and the survival rate after an out of hospital cardiac arrest has doubled to one in ten people.

“This is really significant progress, but there are even higher rates of survival achievable that we are working towards with the refreshed Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy. The Scottish Ambulance Service will also be working with schools so that we can equip all school children with the skills to be able to perform CPR.” 

Dr Gareth Clegg, University of Edinburgh, Chair of the Delivery Group for Scotland’s Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy says: “After a cardiac arrest every second counts. Calling 999 for help, starting chest compression CPR and using a defibrillator as soon as possible is the way to save lives.

“Scotland’s national plan to increase survival after cardiac arrest aims to double the number of cases where a defib is applied by the public – even before an ambulance arrives at the scene. Studies show that using a defibrillator within three minutes of collapse, along with starting CPR, can greatly increase chances of survival.”

Lisa MacInnes, Director of Save a life for Scotland, says: “Every year around 3,500 people in Scotland of all ages suffer a cardiac arrest at home or within the community.

“Save a Life for Scotland is a campaign which aims to increase the chance of survival by encouraging more people to learn about CPR and defibrillators. The simple message of the campaign is that everybody in Scotland has got the power to save lives in their own hands.”

Information on defibrillators: 

There are around 4000 public-access defibrillators registered in Scotland and we have a system where people can add their own defibrillators to our database. You can find their locations here: Registering your Automated External Defibrillator (scottishambulance.com)

Defibrillators are designed to be used by members of the public who have not received any training. They provide audible instructions and sometimes visual prompts on a screen, and because they will not allow a shock to be given unless it is needed, it is extremely unlikely that it will do any harm to the person who has collapsed.

Information on identifying cardiac arrests:

To help people identify when someone is suffering a cardiac arrest, it’s important to recognise the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack. A cardiac arrest occurs when someone’s heart stops beating. Because there is no blood flow to the brain, they will suddenly lose consciousness and will stop breathing or stop breathing normally.  

A heart attack is where there is a sudden interruption to the blood supply to part of the heart muscle. It is likely to cause chest pain and without treatment will result in permanent damage to the heart.

The heart is still sending blood around the body and the person remains conscious and is still breathing. Both are medical emergencies, and you should call 999, but a cardiac arrest is much more serious.

To Find out more about CPR and defibrillators, visit the Scottish Ambulance Service website – Cardiac Arrest (scottishambulance.com) 

Visit savealife.scot to learn more about what organisations are doing across Scotland to save more lives. 

Football is for life: Walking Football Scotland commercial partnership with Cardiac Science

Walking Football Scotland (WFS) is delighted to be working with new commercial partners Cardiac Science. The company has gifted WFS a state-of-the art Powerheart G5 Automated External Defibrillator (AED) that will be available at WFS events in the future. Continue reading Football is for life: Walking Football Scotland commercial partnership with Cardiac Science