THE LIFE-SAVING campaign to ensure no one in ever more than two minutes away from a publicly accessible defibrillator in Droitwich town centre has received a boost after a device and storage cabinet were donated.
The defibrillator, on the wall outside the Medical Centre in Ombersley Street West, has been provided by Birmingham-based Centresoft Limited.
SADS UK – the Sudden Adult Death Trust – supplied the cabinet which was paid for by the two GP practices in the centre, the Spa Medical and Salters Medical, along with the landlord Droitwich HC Ltd.
Droitwich AED, funded by public donations, will be paying for the ongoing upkeep of the defibrillator.
It is the first 24-hour publicly accessible defibrillator in the town centre. There are other defibs but they are only available when the buildings they are in are open.
Peter Richards from Droitwich AED said he would like to thank everyone involved in providing the defib and cabinet.
“We would love to hear from any residents or organisations who could help us provide others and help us ensure a defibrillator is never more than two minutes away.”
Simon Clare, a West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic and a Community First Responder in Droitwich, launched the campaign back in October.
As well as the defibs, free basic life support classes are now starting at Droitwich Medical Centre.
Figures show of those who suffer an ‘out of hospital’ cardiac arrest, the survival rate is just seven per cent unless they can get the medical attention they need within three minutes. Some figures show survival rates can be as high as 74 per cent if a shock from a defib is received within three minutes of the heart being in ‘ventricular fibrillation’.
Modern defibrillators are so advanced that, if needed, there is a voice which talks people through how to use them and also analyses the patient’s heart rate, only allowing shocks to be delivered if one is needed.
For more on those and the defib campaign, email [email protected] or call Peter on 07957 214101.
