Park Leys Medical Practice

We would like to thank West Midlands Ambulance Service for providing us with three items of potentially life saving equipment. They have also provided training in its use. Each our our three surgeries now has a defibrillator and staff trained to use them.

The following is a press release issued by the Ambulance Service and which appeared in the local press on 19th March 2010

LIFE SAVING EQUIPMENT FOR MEDICAL CENTRE


Administration Manager Pearl Willdig, Practice Nurse Linda Greenhill
and WMAS Community Response Manager Ian Inglesant

A medical centre in Coventry has taken delivery of a life saving piece of medical equipment.

Park Leys Medical Practice , based within Keresley Green Medical Centre has received an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and training from West Midlands Ambulance Service that is used to restart someone’s heart if they have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Eight members of staff at the practice, who are already trained in CPR, received full training in how to use the AED in an emergency situation should the need arise at the Medical Centre.

Chris Mullett, Practice Manager at Park Leys Medical Practice said “In the event of someone collapsing in the practice, staff know what to do and can start to give emergency treatment with the defibrillator until an ambulance arrives. This could result in the patient’s life being saved simply using the AED.”

Ian Inglesant, West Midlands Ambulance Services Community Response Manager for Coventry and Warwickshire said; “The defibrillator is one of over 30 the Trust plans to install in GP Practices in Coventry and Warwickshire by the end of March. By increasing the amount of AED’s in places such as large and busy Medical Centres such as Keresley Green, can only increase the chances of a person who suffers a cardiac arrest surviving.

Ian continued; “Approximately 75,000 people die from a cardiac arrest each year in the pre-hospital care setting in the UK. The quicker a patient in cardiac arrest can be defibrillated the greater the chances of survival.”

Three minutes after a patient has suffered a cardiac arrest, there is a 10% reduction for every further minute that passes of that patient surviving. The use of a Defibrillator as soon as possible gives the patient the best possible chance of surviving and being resuscitated.

Note: An automated external defibrillator costs around £1000 and does not have to be charged as it powered by a battery with a four year life span.