Milton Keynes University Hospital recently showed its support for Restart a Heart Day, an annual event led each year by the European Resuscitation Council with the aim of raising awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the community.
The European Restart a Heart Day was founded with the support of the European parliament and takes place in October every year. It is supported by the British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, St John Ambulance, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England, Save a Life for Scotland, Save a Life Cymru, and Northern Ireland Ambulance.
This year’s campaign carried the slogan, All Citizens of the world can Save a life, advising members of the community to follow three simple steps of Check, Call and Compress should they find themselves in a situation where they need to restart a heart.
Milton Keynes University Hospital is a strong advocate for CPR and AED awareness, believing that knowledge and understanding of these techniques and approaches should be known and refreshed as much as possible. The hospital organised training in October for Executives, Matrons, Consultants, Doctors, Health Care Assistants (HCAs), students, support staff and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), as well as the general public.
Karen Ives is the Lead Practitioner in Resuscitation and Deteriorating Patient at MKUH and she said, “Awareness, education and training in Basic Life Support to restart a heart is important for everyone, staff and public alike. In an emergency, the chance of survival increases when these actions are taken quickly and effectively. Whether you have learned CPR before or are new, now is the ideal time to refresh your knowledge and develop confidence in helping someone if they collapse and need help.”
To watch some useful videos on CPR and defibrillator awareness, provided by the British Heart Foundation, click here.