This is where you can learn CPR with South East Coast Ambulance Service in Sussex and Surrey
Members of the public are being given the opportunity to learn how to save a life as South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) delivers CPR training at a number of public locations across Surrey and Sussex this Restart a Heart Day (Thursday, October 16).
Those trained in CPR are also being encouraged to sign up to the GoodSam phone app - an app used by ambulance services to alert individuals to nearby cardiac arrests.
For every minute without effective CPR and defibrillation, a person’s chance of survival reduces by around 10 per cent.
The public’s knowledge of and willingness to start CPR is vital in improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates.
Restart a Heart, led by Resuscitation Council UK, is an annual initiative to raise awareness of the importance of CPR training and encourage more people to learn basic life support skills.
Each year SECAmb supports the initiative with staff members and volunteers attending local schools and organisations to teach children and members of the public basic life support skills.
This year, the Trust will be widening its scope by offering CPR training to the public in several high-footfall locations across Kent, Surrey and Sussex in a drive to increase CPR awareness and help save lives within our communities.
Locations in Sussex and Surrey that SECAmb staff will be offering CPR training on Thursday, October 16 includes:
- Churchill Square – Brighton, Sussex
- County Mall – Crawley, Sussex
- The Beacon, Eastbourne, Sussex
- Priory Meadow, Hastings, Sussex
- Freedom Leisure, Guildford, Surrey
- Woking Leisure Centre, Woking, Surrey
SECAmb is encouraging members of the public to attend these free events in their local area to learn CPR and help us save more lives in our communities.
For those trained in CPR there is also the opportunity to sign up to the GoodSAM app – an app used by ambulance services to allow 999 call takers to alert first-aid trained individuals to nearby cardiac arrests.
Operating unit manager, Dave Hawkins, said: “We’re encouraging all members of the public to attend an event near you to learn CPR which will significantly help us improve cardiac arrest survival rates.
“For those trained in CPR or following receiving training at one of our events, we would encourage you to consider also signing up to the GoodSam app.
“It is like having a ‘shout for help’ in your pocket, albeit with a wider radius.
“The minutes following a cardiac arrest are crucial and the app helps us ensure someone gets help faster and increases their chance of survival.”