We’re delighted to have equipped tens of thousands of people with the lifesaving skills of how to give CPR and use a defibrillator for Restart a Heart Day on 16 October.
Every day across Kent, Surrey and Sussex around 25 people experience a sudden cardiac arrest at home or out and about in the community. Sadly, only about 1 in ten people currently survive
Last week we reached tens of thousands of people across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and equipped them with the confidence and skills to perform CPR and use a defibrillator and enabling them to potentially save a life.
Ben Paul, KSS Paramedic and Education Manager said: “Every single person who joined our sessions has helped us to build our army of lifesavers across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who signed up to take part; together, we can save even more lives in our communities.
“These skills save lives; our medical teams frequently see the difference that delivering these interventions early makes and with most cardiac arrests happening in people’s own homes, we know these skills are likely to be used on friends, family and loved ones.”
Alongside our free online sessions on Restart a Heart Day (16 October) tailored to different age groups, we hosted a number of in-person demonstrations including Surrey Sports Park on Saturday 11 October, and Gatwick South Terminal on Monday 13 October.
On Saturday 18 October we were at Bluewater Shopping Centre where we trained 575 people in what to do when every second counts. Our thanks to Bluewater for kindly donating a prime position for our in-person training session in an area where we could be seen by large numbers of people and for helping us get one of our rapid response vehicles (RRVs) into the building. Our RRVs enable us to provide specialist lifesaving care by road when our helicopters are unable to take to the air. The RRV helped to attract lots of people to our stall, resulting in a steady queue throughout the day, full of people ready and eager to learn CPR.
The same day we were at Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club as part of our ongoing collaboration with the Premier League club, training fans as they arrived for the club’s home game against Newcastle United.
We were honoured to meet members of the late Professor Douglas Chamberlain’s family and proud to be a part of the opening of the club’s medical room, newly named in his memory.
The work done by Professor Chamberlain, a renowned cardiologist and highly respected associate of SECAmb, led to the birth of the paramedic profession in the UK.
He was a visionary who believed that patients deserved expert care not just in hospital, but from the very moment of need, and strove for better outcomes for those suffering cardiac arrests out of hospital, something which we too are passionate about.
We’re so grateful to Brighton and Hove Albion for helping us reach thousands of spectators at the game and countless more online through its social media channels.
Danny Welbeck, one of the players to receive CPR training from our expert paramedics and doctors during a recent visit, rounded off a memorable day by scoring twice in a 2-1 victory for the home side.
At KSS we’re passionate about improving survival from cardiac arrest, but it’s impossible for us to do it on our own. We need your help. Even if you couldn’t join us for Restart a Heart Day, please do take the time to learn how to give CPR and use a defibrillator by visiting aakss.org.uk/restart
If the worst happened, would you know what to do?
