Everyday Heroes Perform CPR at Glen Garth House

In June of this year, one of our residents from Glen Garth House was rushed to hospital with a suspected cardiac arrest, after being found in the communal lounge unresponsive. The team were quick to respond: Beth Jordan and Sarah Loudon performed CPR; Sarah rang the emergency services and was able to inform Beth of the location of the nearest defibrillator who ran to retrieve it.

The team together performed CPR for 20 minutes before an ambulance arrived. Sam Tucker held our resident’s head and provided support to the team during this challenging time.

Sarah commented: “Beth did amazing responding to a serious incident with a resident. Provided CPR and did really well with this, she really went above and beyond to help a sick resident and without her fast action things could have resulted very different.”

All team members pulled together following the incident to support our residents, and thanks to the quick actions of our team and the support of the emergency services, our resident returned to Glen Garth 5 days later.

Would you know what to do in a similar situation?

If someone is unconscious and not breathing normally, call 999 and start CPR straight away. Take a moment to remind yourself how to perform CPR:

To perform a chest compression:

• Place the heel of your hand at the centre of the person’s chest on the breastbone. You should place your other hand on top of your first hand and interlock your fingers.
• Position yourself with your shoulders above your hands.
• Using your body weight (not just your arms), press straight down by 5 to 6cm (2 to 2.5 inches) on the person’s chest.
• Keeping your hands on their chest, release the compression. Allow the chest to return to its original position.
• Repeat the compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 times a minute. Continue until emergency help arrives, the person begins to recover, or you become exhausted.

If you feel confident to do so, you should also give 2 rescue breaths after every 30 chest compressions:

• Tilt the person’s head gently and lift their chin up with 2 fingers. Pinch the person’s nose. Seal your mouth over their mouth, and blow steadily and firmly into their mouth for about 1 second. Check that their chest rises. Repeat a second time, then continue with compressions.

This information is provided by NHS UK and is correct at the time of writing (21/09/2021). For the latest up to date information and guidance, please visit the NHS webpage on CPR.

How do I find a defibrillator near me?

If you call the emergency services and provide your location, the operator should be able to tell you where your nearest defibrillator is, if there’s one in reach and give you the code to access it.

All Northern Healthcare staff complete First Aid face-to-face training, which includes a practical CPR workshop.