Defibrillator placed at Warnham school

Supporting the national cardiac charity SADS UK Big Shock campaign, the school was keen to place a defibrillator on their premises as they understand how important it is to provide early defibrillation. The training will be carried out by the South East Coast Ambulance Service on Tuesday May 24.

The defibrillator is lifesaving equipment that works to restore the heart rhythm if a person goes into cardiac arrest and the earlier a defibrillator is used the better the chance is of survival. The defibrillator placed at the school is easy to use by the layperson, providing voice prompts to the rescuer.

Anne Jolly, Founder of SADS UK, the Ashley Jolly SAD Trust, says: “SADS UK is pleased that Warnham CofE Primary School will benefit from having a defibrillator on the premises to restart the heart if there is a cardiac arrest on the premises.

“In 2014 SADS UK Patron Dr Hilary Jones (Good Morning Britain) presented Lifesaver Awards to staff at two senior schools who had saved the lives of teenage boys using their school defibrillator. Last year two more teenage boys were saved by teachers at their school.

“This demonstrates how important it is to have this lifesaving equipment on school premises, using CPR alone provides a 5% chance of survival but early use of the defibrillator as well increases the chance of survival to over 50%; this is why SADS UK is so passionate about putting this lifesaving equipment in schools.”

SADS UK Big Shock Campaign has the support of the ambulance services and most recently Dame Helen Mirren who heads the charity’s defibrillator leaflet.

After meeting with policymakers, SADS UK are pleased that the Department for Education are advising schools of the lifesaving potential of having a defibrillator on the premises which SADS UK is assisting.

SADS UK will also continue their Big Shock Campaign lobbying Government until all schools have lifesaving defibrillators in place.

Copies of ‘The Warning Signs’ leaflets have been provided to the school to assist people who may have an underlying cardiac condition to be identified and treated.

To find out more about putting a defibrillator in your school, call Anne Jolly, SADS UK on 01277 811215, email, [email protected] or visit www.sadsuk.org