6 Jun 2016
Life-saving defibrillator to be installed at the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM)
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the NCSEM have joined forces to give cardiac arrest victims a fighting chance of survival.
Loughborough is to become a community of lifesavers following the installation of a public access defibrillator (PAD) - a portable device that can be used to help restart the heart when someone has a cardiac arrest.
The NCSEM raised £400 to part-fund the potentially lifesaving machine and received the Call Push Rescue training kit following their successful application for a Nation of Lifesavers Community Package from the charity.
The Community Package contains the innovative kit which includes everything needed to learn CPR in half an hour.
The BHF is campaigning for defibrillators to be made more accessible and recognisable to the public and want all young people to be taught CPR and PAD awareness at school. Since launching the campaign in 2014, at least 350,000 people have joined the Nation of Lifesavers by learning life-saving CPR.
Debra Chantrill, Duty Manager at the NCSEM, said: “We are delighted to have raised enough money to help fund this lifesaving package. The defibrillator will be placed in reception in the NCSEM building meaning that our staff, students, patients and visitors have the best chance of survival should they suffer a cardiac arrest.”
Judy O’Sullivan, Assistant Programme Director at the BHF, said: “More than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year but less than one in ten survive. More people could be saved if more defibrillators were available in public places and if more people felt confident using them and performing CPR. We are delighted that the NCSEM has joined the BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign – by making another defibrillator available at Loughborough University. It could really be the difference between life and death.”
The NCSEM-EM plans to run an Automated Defibrillator Device (AED) training session for all interested staff on Friday 29 July.
To book your place, please visit mt HR or contact ncsem-em@lboro.ac.uk