For more information on Silver End Community First Responders

call Melvin Gymer on 01376 585535 or email mgymer58@btinternet.com

PLEASE NOTE: IN AN EMERGENCY CALL 999

NO EMERGENCY CALLS ACCEPTED AT THIS NUMBER

Pergola in Silver End

Memorial Garden

Why do we need community Responder Schemes?

More than 260,000 people suffer a heart attack in the UK each year, about a third of whom die before reaching hospital due to cardiac arrest. A cardiac arrest most often occurs as a result of a heart attack, when the heart is starved of oxygen. Cardiac arrests cause the heart either to quiver - known as fibrillation - or stop beating altogether. The Automated External Defibrillators (AED) work by delivering a controlled electric shock through the chest wall to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat after a cardiac arrest.

Dr Richard Cummins, from Seatlle USA, found that if a series of events took place in a set sequence, a heart attack patient has a greater chance of survival.  These events are known as the “Chain of Survival”.  Research has shown that early defibrillation is the most important factor affecting the survival of patients in cardiac arrest.

When putting into practice by increasing public awareness, training in basic life support and community based AED, if the collapsed patient receives effective CPR and early defibrillation within the first few minutes of their heart stopping, the chances of survival have improved to between 25% and 30%.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust believes that by introducing a scheme where Community Responders are trained in providing the first three events in this chain, there would be a significant improvement in the chance of survival.

The concept of a Community Responder Scheme

A Responder Scheme is made up of a team of volunteers who, within the community in which they live or work, have been trained to attend emergency calls received by the NHS Ambulance Service, providing first aid until an emergency ambulance arrives, to help answer the increasing demand for prompt response to Category A 999 calls.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, when looking at the locations for Responders Groups, takes the following into consideration:

• Towns or villages where it is challenging for an emergency ambulance to arrive at the scene within 8 minutes, usually in the more rural areas of the county.
• The total number of calls received within these locations must be significant enough for training to take place, ensuring motivation for the group members and their contribution would have a valued, significant effect on patients.

First Responders also carry Oxygen Therapy equipment and so can provide reassurance and pain relief to patients suffering chest pain or breathing problems until the ambulance arrives.