Published on: 14 October 2024
A lesson in life-saving will be taught by a team of specialists as they look to pass on CPR skills in the community they serve.
The Cardiac Rehabilitation Team, based at South Tyneside District Hospital, will be out and about this week. They will be teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Four events will take place to mark Restart a Heart Day, which is on Wednesday, October 16.
The events are aimed at patients and their families and carers who are part of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme run by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. It is open to anyone from those groups across the Trust’s area.
Members of the cardiology team Ashley Jackson, Simone Rowlands, Donna Burton, Louise Coates, Joe Straw and Lisa Kincaid will help lead the training.
The events are part of wider work the team is doing with patients with long term conditions to support and educate them about the help available from charities and through welfare rights and social prescribing.
The details of the sessions are:
- Tuesday, October 15, from 2.20pm to 4pm at Temple Park Centre, South Shields
- Wednesday, October 16, from 11.15am to 12.45pm at Hebburn Central Hub
- Thursday, October 17, from 10.30am to noon at Brinkburn Community Centre, South Shields
- Friday, October 18, from 9am to 10.30am, at Haven Point, South Shields
Simone Rowlands is Project Lead for Cardiac Rehabilitation.
She is also the Trust’s lead for National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation (NACR) implementation. This is where data is gathered to help monitor and improve cardiovascular services.
Simone said:
"We will be running these sessions in four locations in South Tyneside for our patients.
"These sessions provide an ideal opportunity for individuals and groups to learn and practice CPR techniques and life-saving skills.
"In those crucial moments, it could make the difference to someone’s survival.
"Restart a Heart Day serves as a reminder that anyone can learn basic CPR skills and potentially save a life in the event of a cardiac arrest.
"It encourages people to take up CPR training and learn the knowledge and skills needed to respond to emergencies in the best way.
"The sessions will be led by our Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse Donna Burton.
"She is a certified trainer and has previously worked in our resus team and she then trained to be a registered nurse.
"She uses her skills and knowledge from her previous roles to provide this training to our patients and families in the community. We know anyone who comes along will find the training worthwhile."
Restart a Heart Day is held annually to raise awareness of cardiac arrest and to teach CPR. It is led by the Resuscitation Council UK, along with the NHS British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, St John Ambulance, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, Save a Life for Scotland, Save a Life Cymru and Northern Ireland Ambulance.
More details about the work of the Trust’s department can be found through the its section of its website here – South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Cardiology page.
Information about CPR can be found through the First Aid page of the NHS’s website.
Any patient or their family member or carer looking to follow one of the community sessions can contact the team for more information.
