There are 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in the UK with a survival rate of less than 1 in 10 with early CPR and defibrillation doubling the chances of survival. Staggeringly, it is estimated that public access defibrillators are used in fewer than 10% of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) (British Heart Foundation, 2023).
The University is supporting sessions to raise awareness of the use of defibrillators in the workplace for sudden cardiac arrests, and is encouraging staff and students to attend one of six available sessions.
The workshops will be delivered on Thursday 19 October by Paul Wheeler, Senior Lecturer on ODP programmes, running at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm. The sessions have been arranged to coincide with “World Restart a Heart Day” which takes place on 16 October, an initiative organised by the British Heart Foundation and the UK Resus Council.
Paul will be discussing defibrillators (also known as AEDs) and their use in Basic Life Support (BLS) and CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Topics will include what AEDs are, how they work, who can use them, how to use them and where they are located on our University campuses. The sessions are not BLS or CPR courses, but are designed to raise awareness of the use of defibrillators in the workplace and will include some demonstrations. Paul will also signpost attendees to free BLS and CPR training videos to complement the workshops.
Each of the six sessions will take place in the Gateway Lecture Theatre with a capacity limit of 50 spaces for session. The sessions are open to all staff and students.
Participants are advised to arrive 10 minutes before each session's start time when a register will be taken to confirm attendance. An information flyer/leaflet will be provided to all attendees.
If the October sessions are oversubscribed, extra sessions will be arranged in November for those who were unable to attend to book a place.