A big thanks to staff from the Resuscitation Team at Forth Valley Royal Hospital for organising NHS Forth Valley’s first ‘Restart a Heart’ day. Thanks also to the Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors (SCSCHF) who provided mannequins for the event .
The event gave staff, patients and visitors alike a chance to learn more about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillators, heart attacks, recovery position and what to do if someone is choking. People also got a chance to try out their CPR skills on ‘Annie’ one of the mannequins from the SCSCHF.
Overall the event was a great success, with people of all ages taking the opportunity to practice their resuscitation skills or just taking a few minutes to pick up some useful information.
NHS Forth Valley’s Communications Assistant Lindsay Hathaway, who was one of the many people trying CPR on ‘Annie’ – a mannequin from the SCSCHF, said: “My previous experience of CPR was limited to scenes on programmes such as Casualty, and I had a smattering of knowledge about defibrillators, gleaned from seeing them in supermarkets and shopping centres.
“At least I can now attempt some form of life saving with this type of equipment but I don’t think my skills at CPR would be welcomed in the Resuscitation Department! It certainly is harder than it looks so perhaps it’s time to download that App and start practising in earnest.”
More information on CPR and what to do in an emergency situation, can be found on the British Heart Foundation website www.bhf.org.uk
