Trust Board Refresh Life-Saving Skills

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SECAmb) Board members supported this year's National Heart Month by refreshing their life-saving Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) skills.

National Heart Month ran throughout February and is an annual campaign organised by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to increase awareness and raise funds for heart and circulatory disease.

While some members of SECAmb's Board are trained as front-line paramedics, including Chief Executive Paul Sutton, the refresher training, provided by SECAmb Community Resuscitation Development Officer Mike Dadd, equipped non-clinical Board members with the vital skills needed in the event of a life-threatening emergency, including the use of a public access defibrillator.

Mike is one of 21 trainers working across the country as part of the BHF's Heartstart scheme - an initiative which aims to teach as many people as possible, through schools, community groups and workplaces the simple skills needed in a life-threatening emergency.

Board members to benefit from the refresher training included Chairman Martin Kitchen, non-executive directors, Nigel Penny, Christine Barwell and John Jackson and advisor to the Board, Tim Howe.

John Jackson said: "I've been given resuscitation training before but it was some time ago and the refresher training was very useful. It's an extremely important life skill. You never know when someone is going to need it."

Tim Howe said: "I've seen CPR work many times through my involvement with the Red Cross. It is essential that more people are taught how to perform it."

SECAmb Chairman Martin Kitchen added: "We want all our board members to become familiar with modern CPR techniques and defibrillators. I feel it's particularly important that children are taught CPR because they'll remember these skills later in life."