Charity provides defibrillator for local community following life threatening incidents

The Royal Star & Garter Homes have provided a defibrillator for the local community following two life threatening incidents outside its service in Surbiton, south west London.

The device, which delivers an electric current to restart the heart when someone is in cardiac arrest, has been placed in a prominent position by the main entrance of the care home, following two recent incidents involving members of the public.

In one of the incidents last year,  Trainee Nurse Associate and Clinical IT Lead Michelle Nicholls, who works at Claremont Medical Centre in Surbiton, saved the life of a collapsed cyclist by administering CPR and mouth-to-mouth before paramedics arrived.

Michelle, who went on to work on a Trainee Nursing Associate placement at The Royal Star & Garter Homes in December last year, said: “I’m very happy that there’s a defibrillator here. It’s good news for the whole community. Anybody can use it and it could save someone’s life.”

The device has also been registered with the London Ambulance Service, meaning staff at the home will be notified if someone nearby has collapsed.

It is designed to be used by someone with no medical training, with an in-built speaker giving simple step-by-step instructions to operate.

Pauline Shaw, the Charity’s Director of Care, said: “Defibrillators save lives, so we’re delighted to make this invaluable purchase. We’re now letting the community know it’s here so that if it’s ever needed, people can come here for help.”