A cohort of Ryebridge staff are fully trained in what to do in the event of a colleague or a member of the public suffering a life-threatening cardiac arrest.
A team from the company received training in life-saving defibrillator and CPR skills from Andy Lewis of East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rate in the UK is around 8 per cent if only resuscitation/CPR is attempted. However, if a defibrillator is used alongside effective CPR within the first three to five minutes, the chances of survival can increase to between 40 per cent-70 per cent.
The hour-long training covered the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack, as well as how to recognise a cardiac arrest, calling emergency services, starting CPR and using a community defibrillator.
Being confident in using a defibrillator to restart someone’s heart is vital. For every minute that the patient is left without defibrillation, their chances of survival decrease by 10 per cent.
It included an element of practical hands-on, which the Ryebridge team enthusiastically participated in.
Ryebridge health, safety and wellbeing Manager Karen Carter said: “We are going to put our defibrillator in the hallway downstairs at our headquarters so other companies in the building can have access.
“We have also registered it with the local ambulance service so they are aware there is one in the area if other people need to use it.”
Ryebridge are also purchasing some portable defibrillators to keep in company vehicles, ensuring they are able to give somebody the best chance of survival and recovery in the event of a life-threatening medical emergency.
EAAA aims to train 20,000 people each year in how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator, so they can have the confidence to start the chain of survival as soon as possible in the event of a cardiac arrest.
Any local business or organisation looking to book training can do so via this link: https://www.eaaa.org.uk/learn-cpr
