Tag: life saving

Quick lifesaving skills save the life of an Edinburgh athlete at Meadowbank

A local man is thanking his lucky stars and staff at a popular city sports venue for saving his life, when he collapsed on the running track following a training session early in March.

Keith Ridley, 69, from Willowbrae, and a coach with Edinburgh Athletic Club had just finished his own training session on the outdoor running track at Meadowbank Sports Centre, before he was due to start training younger members of the club, when he collapsed.  

Thanks to the quick action of some medical students, who were training on the track, and Martin Bews, Operations Supervisor at Meadowbank Sports Centre, who administered CPR until the ambulance arrived to take over, Mr Ridley has lived to tell the tale.  Greg Cobb, a Welcome Host at Meadowbank, who had trained as a cardiac nurse in a previous life, also gave invaluable support to Martin at the time.

Keith was taken to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, where he had two stents installed in blocked arteries and an ICD (implantable defibrillator) in his chest.

Keith Ridley said: “I count myself incredibly fortunate with the circumstances in which my heart attack happened and will be forever grateful for the quick actions of the medical students and the staff at Edinburgh Leisure’s Meadowbank Sports Centre, especially Martin and Greg, who most definitely saved my life. 

“Medical friends of mine have told me just how critical those first few minutes are in terms of the right care administered that can make the difference in saving a life.”

Claire Rusack, Operations Director at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We are so glad that Keith is doing well and on the road to recovery. We are so proud of all the team and for the great outcome.

“Edinburgh Leisure places a huge importance on equipping our staff with the necessary skills to cope with lots of different situations.  In this instance, their first aid training and accident and emergency procedures ensured an incident well managed. You hope you’ll never have to use your first aid skills, but it just highlights how critical these skills can be in saving someone’s life.”

Keith spent a week in hospital but recovered well and has now returned home.  On the advice of his cardiology nurse, he is undertaking light exercise including walking and hopes to return to a structured exercise programme in the near future. He is hoping that he might be eligible to be referred to Edinburgh Leisure’s Fit For Health programme to help with his rehabilitation.

Fit For Health is a 16-week physical activity referral programmed delivered by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with the Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership. Sessions are delivered across various Edinburgh Leisure venues. 

Edinburgh Leisure offers First Aid courses, which are accredited by Ofqual and presented in association with the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK). These include First Aid at Work (Full 3 days); First Aid at Work (2 days refresher), Emergency First Aid at Work (1 day), Paediatric First Aid (2 days),

Emergency Paediatric First Aid (1 day). 

Edinburgh Leisure also run first aid courses for clubs and colleges.   These are in addition to their RLSS programme, and they welcome any requests.

For more information, visit: https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/swim-education#firstaid or email ata@edinburghleisure.co.uk

For more information:   www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

Time to learn about lifesaving with the National Lifesaving Academy

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) are calling on parents to ensure that their children have the chance to learn lifesaving skills as part of their National Lifesaving Academy. 

The awards are a suite of progressive awards that teach personal survival, first aid, CPR, rescue, and fitness skills to anyone aged 12 years and over. Their aim is to teach candidates how to stay safe around water and how to safely assist others who may have gotten into difficulty in both aquatic and non-aquatic situations.

Statistics from RLSS UK show that around two-thirds of children who drown are cited as swimmers, the NLA can not only ensure that children feel confident with their swimming ability, but also ensure that in different environments, not just a warm swimming pool, they would have the skills and knowledge to be able to remain safe, and keep others safe. 

Lifesavers can take awards in either beach, open water or pool, or all three if they wish, and progress through the award from the bronze certificate, to the bronze star, before obtaining their bronze medallion, a prestigious award for lifesavers. 

There is then the opportunity to obtain a distinction award for those who are able to achieve any of the following: gain a lifesaving instructor award; undertake voluntary service to the lifesaving community; or undertake work experience in the leisure sector. 

Lee Heard, Charity Director at RLLS UK said: “When designing the award we wanted to ensure it was completely accessible to young people from all backgrounds and households, and this is why we have ensured that the price of the award remains affordable.

“We also wanted the skills obtained in the award to be formally recognised to allow career progression within the leisure industry.

“For many young people, lifesaving is the first step in a long career within the leisure industry. With this in mind, any bronze medallion achieved can be used a Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) hours towards the relevant vocational lifeguard qualification, something which can be a fantastic earning opportunity whilst studying, as well as a great addition to any CV. 

“As well as this, our lifesavers will now learn the same theory and techniques you can find in our regulated qualifications, such as First Aid at Work and the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification, meaning that lifesavers will now cover the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for adults, children, and infants. 

“With the rise of Community Access Public Defibrillators and the news that all state-funded schools will have a defibrillator by the end of the 22/23 academic year, it was the right time to teach our Lifesavers how to use this lifesaving equipment.”

The skills that can be learnt when taking the National Lifesaving Academy award are vital to ensure that future lifesavers have the necessary knowledge to help others to enjoy water safely. 

The programme has been endorsed by gold medal Olympians and GB triathletes Jonny and Alistair Brownlee. Alistair said “I would recommend the National Lifesaving Academy, firstly, because I believe lifesaving skills are really important for anyone to learn, especially if you are going to be partaking in any open water activity, or going to the swimming pool. 

“Secondly, being able to swim confidently in open water is a fantastic life skill and this course gives people the ability to do that safely. Thirdly, it’s also important for us all to learn that we can swim in our fantastic natural resources in this country if you take the right precautions, and all of those messages are given to you through the academy.

“More people in this country are swimming outdoors, we need to educate people in how to do that safely. We all want to enjoy the open water, we all want to enjoy swimming and getting active but we have to do that in safe environment. 

“You can also pick lots of skills from the academy, you can learn first aid, you can keep yourself fit to look after other people, you can learn about the dangers of different swimming environments, and that is really important and we need as many people as possible to learn all of that.”

The programme has also been endorsed by Paralympic Champion Ellie Robinson MBE, and Olympian and Sports Scientist Professor Greg Whyte OBE. 

To find out more, visit www.rlss.org.uk/find-a-club to find a lifesaving club in your area.

Visit our website at rlss.org.uk 

Follow us on Twitter – @RLSSUK

Visit our Facebook page – facebook.com/RLSSUK 

Call – 0300 323 0096

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

STOP THE BLEED: FREE public bleed control training sessions

87% of emergency responders believe more lives could be saved if the public were better prepared with trauma response training

Safeguard Medical is calling for the introduction of life-saving bleed kits across the UK and offering over 500 places on FREE bleed control training sessions for UK public to help support emergency responders to save more lives.

In a recent survey of UK Emergency Medical Services, Fire and Police commissioned by Safeguard Medical, 87%  of respondents agreed that if the public were more aware of the immediate care required following major trauma, preventable deaths would decrease.

The majority of first responders (85%) believe that more lives could be saved with the introduction of bleeding control kits, placed alongside every public access defibrillator.

The UK Government has released statistics that over 41,000 knife crime offences occurred in 2020/21, of which 224 were homicides. Bleed kits contain lifesaving equipment including tourniquets to stop major bleeding and haemostatic bandages that can be ‘packed’ into a wound to stop haemorrhaging.

Safeguard Medical is appealing to raise greater awareness of the vital skills that help to preserve life following a trauma incident. During the COVID pandemic, emergency responders reported increased pressures, with 95% agreeing they have responded to an increased number of trauma incidents.

Almost half of those surveyed (48%) agreed that the public could be better prepared to respond while waiting for professional ambulance assistance to arrive on scene.

Emergency responders are also dealing with the mental health impact of witnessing and experiencing trauma, with 94% agreeing that their mental health had suffered because of the increased pressures placed on the emergency medical services during the pandemic. 

Safeguard Medical believes that if the public were better prepared to deal with medical and trauma emergencies, this immediate support could help reduce mental health pressure on emergency medical responders, whilst also directly saving lives.  

One of Safeguard Medical’s partners, the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, will host a training session on World Trauma Day at Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the West Midlands, delivered by Safeguard Medical’s training division, Prometheus Medical.

At this free, open event, the public can learn vital first aid skills that could save someone’s life. These include how to perform CPR, use a defibrillator and how to manage major bleeding.

Ian Jones, air operations manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “With more than 63% of the charity’s missions being trauma-related, it’s important to use this day to shine a light on the enhanced critical care our crews provide, and what bystanders can do to help the patient before medical expertise even arrives.

“In addition, the demand for advanced medicines and equipment coupled with specialist care on scene delivered by our critical care paramedics and flight doctors continues to rise annually, with a 1.3 per cent rise in trauma-related incidents compared to 2020, which was already an extraordinary year with additional Covid pressures.”

The emergency responders surveyed agreed that since the pandemic, certain trauma incidents have increased considerably. For example, as more people have been upgrading their homes, DIY accidents have increased (28%), as have falls from height and sporting incidents (25%).

Professor Richard Lyon MBE, Chief Medical Officer at Safeguard Medical and a practising NHS Consultant in Emergency Medicine & Pre-hospital Care, said: “Tragic incidents like the fatal attack on MP David Amess highlights that penetrating trauma incidents can occur anywhere, at any time.

“There is a real opportunity for better public access to life saving equipment, like bleed kit, in order to save more lives. Even with an air ambulance travelling in a straight line at over 130mph to an incident, patients can bleed out in under 5 minutes in some circumstances.

“Minutes are critical when you are bleeding.  This is why a tourniquet or haemostatic trauma bandages in bleed kits give the public the chance to intervene and save a life.

“Our rapid response teams can then focus on keeping the patient stable and preparing them for medical intervention once at the hospital.”   

Professor Lyon agreed that during the UK lockdowns, the number of callouts to incidents reduced but added: “There’s been a significant increase in recreational incidents following the lifting of lockdowns.

“Accident from sporting incidents, DIY, road traffic collisions, falls from heights,  as well as an increase in mental health-related incidents and assault-related trauma – particularly knife crime – have all increased.”

Safeguard Medical is dedicated to equipping responders at every skill level to saving life, in any environment. Which is why its training arm, Prometheus Medical, is providing over 500 free places on its medical training courses across the UK to help prepare the public and businesses to respond better to medical emergencies by understanding bleed control.

Elite medical training company Prometheus Medical, is offering free training on trauma response and bleed control in Edinburgh on 15th and 16th February 2022

Register interest here: 

https://news.prometheusmedical.co.uk/p/6X1A-1S7/worldtraumaday

To find out more and register your interest for the free training sessions, visit www.prometheusmedical.com

To learn about how Safeguard can supply bleed kits for general public use, visit:

https://safeguardmedical.com/en-gb/products/haemorrhage-control/prometheus-bleed-control-kit-daniel-baird-foundation/.

A demonstration of how to use the Bleed Control Kit can be viewed here:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRmt5E8b1lg