Seven new public defibrillators, plus CPR sessions, are coming to North West communities short of one. Here is how a Chester area group can ask.
Seven more public defibrillators are to be installed across the North West over the coming months, in communities where there is currently little or no access to one. They are being paid for by North West Ambulance Charity, the official charity of the North West Ambulance Service, and Blues and Twos Credit Union, which are working together on the scheme for the second year running.
The charity announced the funding on 14 October, Restart a Heart Day, the annual campaign to get more people confident enough to do CPR in an emergency.
What is being installed, and where
The machines are Community Public Access Defibrillators, known as CPADs. The charity says the seven sites are “carefully selected communities where access to a defibrillator is currently limited”, building on last year’s work in what it calls “identified hotspot locations”.
The charity has not yet published the full list of seven. Two of the people taking delivery are pictured: Paul Oneill, the guardian of a defibrillator going outside The Saracens Head pub in Ormskirk, and Rebecca Smith, the guardian of one going to Read & Simonstone Community Tennis Club.
CPR lessons come with the machines
Each community getting a defibrillator will also get CPR awareness and education sessions, run by the two organisations together. The charity says the sessions are meant to give residents “the confidence and skills needed to recognise a cardiac arrest, call 999, start CPR and access a nearby defibrillator when every second counts”.
Jemma Kinch, Head of Charity at North West Ambulance Charity, said:
“Every minute matters when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. By working together with Blues and Twos Credit Union, we are not only increasing access to lifesaving defibrillators in communities that need them most, but also helping local people develop the confidence to step forward and act in an emergency.”
Vicky Harrison, chief executive of Blues and Twos Credit Union, said:
“We’re delighted to work with the NWAS Charity for the second year running to improve defibrillator coverage and CPR awareness across the North West. Restart a Heart Day seems like the perfect time to highlight the difference that CPR awareness and publicly accessible defibrillators can make in saving lives.”
What it means for you
If your village, estate, sports club or community building has no defibrillator within easy reach, the charity wants to hear from you. Its advice is simple: “If you think your community would benefit from a defibrillator, get in touch with North West Ambulance Charity by emailing charity.office@nwas.nhs.uk.”
It is worth doing before anyone needs it. The charity’s own point is that early CPR and defibrillation “can significantly improve the chances of survival” after a cardiac arrest outside hospital, and a machine only helps if it is close enough to fetch in time.
About the charity
North West Ambulance Charity is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (No. 1122470) and funds education, projects and equipment for patients, ambulance staff and the wider community. The trust it supports covers more than 5,400 square miles and a population of over seven million, employs 6,000 staff and handles more than one million emergency calls a year, according to the charity.
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