Boost for ambulance charity to aid survival of cardiac arrests
The South Western Ambulance Service Charity has received £142,000 - which will go towards their work increasing survival rates outside of hospital
The South Western Ambulance Charity has been handed £142,000 - with the cash boost being used to help with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
The SWAST is one of the first to get the cash through NHS Charities Together, thanks to their Community Resilience Grants Fund.
It's designed to build community resilience and equip more people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond in an emergency.
This comes as stats show only one in ten people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive to return home to their families.
However, rapid action can increase survival chances to more than 50%.
Zoe Larter, Head of the South Western Ambulance Charity, said: “We are incredibly grateful to NHS Charities Together and Omaze for their generous support and funding.
"This grant will allow us to strengthen our work in equipping communities with the skills and resources needed to respond effectively in emergencies.
"By improving access to defibrillators, providing essential training, supporting our volunteer Community First Responders and with particular focus on ensuring health equity, we can help to save more lives across the South West.”
This funding will help the charity 'strengthen community resilience and preparedness across the South West'.
They'll do that by funding initiatives, which include:
- Community Response Vehicles: which will allow volunteers to reach patients quickly and provide vital support before an ambulance arrives
- Defibrillator registration and accessibility: they have already assisted over 700 schools across the South West with the correct installation and registration of defibrillators, with 84% of schools now registered the national defibrillator network, which provides NHS ambulance services with real-time information about defibrillators across the UK
- Community Ambassador Programme: helping to establish a new Community Ambassador volunteer role, who are trained Basic Life Support (BLS) instructors, enabling them to deliver standardised CPR and defibrillation training
Jane Whichello, Head of Volunteering at SWASFT, said: “Our dedicated volunteers at SWASFT, including our Community First Responders, play a vital role in providing early lifesaving interventions in emergencies.
"This funding will enable us to support our volunteers with additional resources, ensuring they can reach patients quickly and provide immediate care.
"In addition, with the creation of our new Community Ambassador volunteer role, we’re hoping this will empower more people across the region to learn CPR and defibrillation skills, creating stronger, more resilient communities.
“Community Ambassadors will also be encouraging those attending CPR and defibrillation awareness sessions to sign up to the GoodSAM app, which connects those who are trained, to deliver CPR with nearby cardiac arrests, further enhancing our community's ability to support swiftly and effectively in emergencies.”
The South Western Ambulance Charity is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and since its establishment, has has worked alongside the Ambulance Service and communities in the South West, helping to enhance care and support for patients in critical moments.
Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, said: “We are delighted to award this grant to the South Western Ambulance Charity as part of our Community Resilience Grants Fund. The project has the potential to make a huge difference to the people living in the South West by helping them recognise the early signs of a life-threatening emergency and how to respond.
"In addition to helping improve chances of survival, by educating people to know how to respond in a health emergency – or even prevent it from happening in the first place – we can also help reduce pressure on the NHS, which has never been more important.
"We look forward to continuing our work with the South Western Ambulance Charity and other organisations across the UK to help the NHS go further for everyone.”