In the UK each year more than 30,000 sudden cardiac arrests are reported outside of hospitals, with up to 89% of these in men.
Arrhythmia Alliance, a coalition of charities, patient groups, patients, carers, medical groups, and allied professionals, has teamed up with Bewley Homes to help provide life-saving equipment for ten construction sites.
The defibrillators were supplied by Arrhythmia Alliance as part of their Defibs Save Lives campaign, which promotes the necessity for publicly accessible defibrillators to ensure communities are heart safe.
The importance of immediately using a defibrillator on someone suffering a cardiac arrest is huge. Reports show it can boost survival rates to 70%, compared to the survival rate of 6% when no immediate assistance is given
“While we hope none of the defibrillators will ever be used, we know that by having them on site we can ensure our staff will have the best treatment available immediately,” says Managing Director of Bewley Homes, Andrew Brooks.
The Defibs Save Lives Campaign, set up by Arrhythmia Alliance, is promoting the importance of defibrillators within public spaces so they are accessible to all, ensuring that communities are protected. The campaign is raising awareness around the use of defibrillators, and specifically educating communities on how they are used.
“The health and safety of all our staff is an integral part of being a responsible employer,” says Matt Jenkins, Health and Safety Manager.
Passionate about the use of these life-saving instruments, Trudie Lobban MBE, founder of Arrhythmia Alliance suggests that defibrillators need to become as common as fire extinguishers or smoke alarms, which all help save lives in dangerous scenarios.
Trudie hopes other companies will follow in Bewley Homes’ footsteps and add defibrillators into their working environments. After all, as Trudie points out: “Every second counts so the quicker a defibrillator can be used the greater the chance of the person surviving.”
