Wednesday 17th July 2013 – 9.30am – Suzie Fothergill.
West Midlands Ambulance Service will have trained 10,000 people in Staffordshire in the lifesaving HeartStart course by the end of this week.
This huge milestone for the project will be reached as ambulance staff and volunteer HeartStart instructors train 500 children at Walton Priory Middle School in Stone throughout the week.
On the 1st April last year the service embarked on the five year HeartStart project, aiming to train basic life support skills to 60,000 people within the County.
Over the last 15 months an average of 21 people every single day have been trained in how to save a life. The project has gone from strength to strength and many more courses are already planned for the forthcoming months.
The free two hour British Heart Foundation courses are suitable for anyone from the age of ten years old and up and cover various lifesaving and first aid techniques including CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), the management of severe bleeding, loss of consciousness, chocking and chest pain.
Matt Heward, Community Response Manager said: “The Trust is absolutely thrilled by the response for these courses. The service believes it is extremely important to increase the public’s understanding of what they should do in a medical emergency.
“Holding these free courses, which are open to all, has provided the public with the skills, confidence and a better understanding of what they should do in such an emergency which really could help to save lives.
“One of the main aims of the project was to concentrate on getting schools involved and providing children with lifesaving skills at a young age.
“The children at Walton Priory Middle School and other schools around the county have been excellent, engaging fully with all the activities and learning these vital skills in a familiar environment. It has also provided the ambulance service with the opportunity to reduce any fears that the children may have had, reassuring them that should they ever need an ambulance that we are here to help.”
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in making this project a success so far, from the dedicated HeartStart team and volunteer trainers, who have put in tireless efforts, to the public for proactively supporting the project and taking part in the course.”
For more information about HeartStart and how to book on to a free course please visit http://www.wmas.nhs.uk/ourservices/heartstartstaffs.aspx or contact the team via heartstartstaffordshire@wmas.nhs.uk or call 01785 237341 – please leave a message and someone will response to your enquiry when possible.
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