Wednesday 13th August 2014 – 3.00pm – Claire Brown.
If you shop and sadly drop, you’re in safe hands in ASDA Merry Hill thanks to a life-saving addition to the store.
Defibrillators are being installed in all of ASDA’s stores throughout the country in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation. A defibrillator is a device that could restart the heart of someone who suffers a cardiac arrest.
Anne Foley, the Trust’s Community Defibrillator Facilitator, has been training ASDA staff in all 14 stores in the Black Country. Tuesday (12th August) marked the final phase in the Black Country project when the defibrillator went live in ASDA in Merry Hill, Dudley.
Andy Jeynes, the Trust’s Community Response Manager, said: “Anne has worked really hard to get all 14 stores up and running with their new defibrillators.
If a customer or staff member were to ever suffer a cardiac arrest, each store now has a number of staff trained to use the device and administer CPR. Early CPR increases the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest and by having a defibrillator in such a busy place like ASDA it can only be a good thing.”
Hayley Priest, Training Sector Teacher for ASDA Merry Hill, was trained by Anne this week and said: “I did a life training course years ago so this was a good recap on CPR. The machine is easy to use and actually talks to you, giving you instructions, so it’s fool proof.”
Emma James, People Services Manager for ASDA Merry Hill, said: “We’re delighted to be part of the project which will enable our staff to support our customers and local community. We hope we never have to put our skills to the test but it’s reassuring to know the defibrillator is in-store should anyone need it.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor: Pictured (FRONT left to right): Anne Foley, Emma James and Andy Jeynes. (BACK left to right): Sharon Smith, Nikki Smith, Javier Llodraz-Beldra, Lisa Dunn and Hayley Priest.