Because we live in the countryside and therefore well away from key services such as the ambulance trust, we can not expect to receive the same response times to medical emergencies as those who live in towns.  This response time can be critical in the case of heart attacks where the speed with which assistance is rendered can seriously affect the amount of damage sustained, and the ultimate outcome.

In an attempt to address this problem, the government agreed to allow rural community groups to raise funding (Approx. £3000) to purchase their own specialised defibrillation equipment, plus sufficient to cover running costs, and set up Groups to work alongside the Ambulance Service.  The volunteer members of these groups are fully trained by the ambulance trust in how and when to use the equipment for the benefit of persons suffering the effects of a heart attack.  The volunteer members of each group arrange a rota between them to cover as much of each week as they can, and for the time they are on call they hold the equipment and are ready, at the drop of a hat, to respond when called upon.

Should anyone living in the Lighthorne, Lighthorne Heath, Redlands, Gaydon or C.A.D. Kineton area call the ambulance trust for assistance with chest pains or a suspected heart attack, then immediately upon despatching an ambulance the trust will attempt to contact the on-call “First-Responder” with the address and details of the patient.  The “First-Responder” will then attend the incident with a good chance of arriving on the scene well before the in-transit ambulance personnel.  Fully trained and equipped they are then in the position to render emergency treatment to the patient as necessary.

Our particular group has nineteen responders but is still under-resourced, which means ultimately both increased pressure on the volunteers and inevitably periods when there is no “First-Response” available for our community.  If you feel that the initiative is worthwhile, and you would be prepared to give some of your valuable time to assist, please contact our group co-ordinator, Chris Wild.  Volunteers are not required to have any medical qualification or background; just a wish to serve their community.  Full training is provided by the local ambulance trust, together with regular refresher courses.

Currently seven of the group live in Lighthorne.  However, the more there are, the less the load on any one individual.  Please think seriously about whether you could contribute to this very worthy initiative.

Chris  Wild
HeartStart GLR Co-ordinator

Tel:  01926 651633
 
Email:  chris@swiftron.co.uk