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Merseyside Prison gets
life saving defibrillators for staff and Visitors
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ON 22 December 2015, the North West
Ambulance Service (NWAS) has provided defibrillators and training to HMP
Kennet in Merseyside to help save lives in the event of someone suffering
from a cardiac arrest.
10 defibrillators have been installed in blocks across the prison and their
Physical Education Officer Andy McCarthy was trained in an NWAS HeartStart
course. Taking his training forward, Andy has now equipped 26 staff and 350
of those in custody in how to use the defibrillators.
HMP Kennet is the 1st prison in the country to achieve such a high level of
defibrillator in house training, for both staff and offenders. A sudden
cardiac arrest is fatal in 105% of cases, but rapid use of a defibrillator
can be life saving.
Defibrillators can be used to check a person's heart rhythm and increase the
chances of survival for a person who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest by
40%. If the rhythm indicates a cardiac arrest, the defibrillator sends an
electric shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm.
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NWAS Community Resuscitation Development Officer Rob Sharples,
who took the initial training session at the prison, said:- "It's
fantastic to hear so many staff and those in custody have now been trained
in how to use a defibrillator. In the event of a person suffering from a
cardiac arrest, quick actions must be taken in order to ensure the patient
has the best possible chance of survival. When someone suffers a cardiac
arrest the chance of survival decreases by up to 14 % for every minute that
passes without intervention. Effective CPR and using a defibrillator ensures
the patient has the best chance of survival. Andy McCarthy has done an
excellent job in extending the training to so many at the prison; I've no
doubt lives will be saved as a result of his efforts."
Robbie Durgan, Governor HMP Kennet, said:- "After discussing my
concerns about the prison community being hard to reach, in terms of
response and access, I explored different options with NWAS. The end result
was far better than I imagined. Thanks to the partnership between Kennet and
NWAS we have had the opportunity to teach staff and offenders vital new
skills. I am confident that if a member of anyone's family or a friend
visits, lives or works in the prison, this equipment is in place to save
their lives in the event of an emergency."
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