A WELSH charity aiming to save lives after cardiac arrests has appointed a new community co-ordinator for south-west Wales.

Save a Life Cymru has appointed six community co-ordinators whose job it is to transform access to CPR training and defibrillation in local communities, including one based in south-west Wales.

The news comes as cardiac arrests returned to the spotlight this past weekend as Welsh international and Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer suffered a second cardiac arrest on the football pitch this year. He is currently in hospital undergoing tests.

In Wales, survival rates for out of hospital cardiac arrests are well below the UK average of 10 per cent, at just five per cent. This has led to Save a Life Cymru to appoint the community co-ordinators to help improve the chance of survival by ensuring people across Wales are able to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest and know what to do to improve the chance of survival.

Their responsibilities include working with communities, third sector organisations and charitable trusts to teach about basic life support awareness and training as well as the four links for the cardiac arrest chain of survival: early recognition and call for help, early CPR, early defibrillation and post resuscitation care.

They also provide advice and support in relation to public access defibrillators and work to support the registration and maintenance of all defibrillators on The Circuit. The Circuit is a network of all the defibrillators across Wales which can allow 999 call handlers to direct callers to the nearest defibrillator to them to help with resuscitation whilst paramedics are on the way as for every minute CPR and a defibrillator is not used when someone is in cardiac arrest, their chances of survival drop by 10 per cent.

The co-ordinators all have experience working in the healthcare profession. Responsible for south-west Wales is Marc Gower. Marc has more than 31 years experience in the fire and rescue service and was a medical response trainer. He now volunteers with the Welsh Ambulance Service’s first responder team.

He said: “Many people mistakenly believe that cardiac arrests exclusively affect men within a specific age group, but a cardiac arrest can occur to people of all ages and genders, anywhere and at any time, irrespective of their health status.

“This is why our work as community coordinators is important. We want to ensure there is an equal opportunity for survival for everyone throughout Wales.”

Julie Starling, manager for the community co-ordinator team and the clinical out of hospital cardiac arrest programme manager for Wales, said: “We are delighted to be the first of the home nations to appoint CPR and defib community co-ordinators. It has been a long-term goal to provide enhanced support to all communities – including south west Wales - with the aim of increasing cardiac survival rates throughout the country.  

“Our co-ordinators are already out and about in their local communities and are committed to help educate and support people with their CPR and defibrillation skills.  Witnessing a cardiac arrest is a scary thing but we want communities in Wales to feel as prepared as possible if they are in that situation and have the confidence to help. The more bystanders that help and communities that are equipped then the better our cardiac survival rates will be.”

You can get in touch with your community co-ordinator by emailing SaveALifeCymru@wales.nhs.uk or achubbywydcymru@wales.nhs.uk.  

If someone goes into cardiac arrest, call 999 and the operator will talk you through the steps to help whilst dispatching paramedics. The operator will talk you through CPR as well as the location of the nearest defibrillator and the code to access it.