At Grange Valley Primary School in Haydock on Wednesday 2nd July, Direct365 are running ‘Healthy Heart Day’! We’re presenting them with their new defibrillator, complete with adult and paediatric pads, plus providing training and Q&A throughout the day.

The school have been fundraising and working hard to raise money, and also to highlight the importance of defibrillators in modern life, helping to dispel the myths and fears that surround them. The forward-thinking initiative of the school, pupils and concerned parents will make the school one of the first in the region to provide a life-saving defibrillator on its premises.

Dianne Holcroft, Grange Valley Primary School’s Head Teacher has the following to say about their recent purchase of a defibrillator in the run up to the Healthy Heart Day:

“The Healthy Heart Day is a big step forward for our school. We’ve been fundraising for a defibrillator for a while now, with lots of Healthy Heart events – to finally receive it is wonderful.

“Equally important to us is educating the Grange Valley family, including the children, staff, parents and our local community, about Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the role of defibrillator as a life-saving piece of equipment, as well as to dispel some of the myths and fears that surround them.

“We want to get the ball rolling so that schools being equipped with defibrillators becomes commonplace!”

David Watts, MP of St Helens North had this to say:

“I very much support the Direct365 campaign, which seeks to improve awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and to provide the hands on training for parents, teachers and children as well as the benefits of providing defibrillators in all schools.

I have already successfully pressed my local Council to ensure that all schools have defibrillators available in their schools and have staff trained to use them.  I am convinced that this campaign will prevent unnecessary deaths and highlight the benefits of the provision of defibrillators.”

On the day:

The day will be split into two sessions which aim to educate the children, staff and any parents who are attending about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and the role of defibrillators in revival. CPR training is being provided by Fast Aid. Plus an informal Q&A session for friends of the school.

Session 1 at 10.15am – 11.15am (1 hour) with ½ Year 4, Year 5 + Parents

This fun and practical event welcomes Year 5 children and their parents in a hand-on session. We’ll cover SCA and how to spot it, basic CPR, Defibrillator training, and why it’s important to act fast.

Session 2 at 2.00pm – 3.00pm (1 hour) with ½ Year 4, Year 6 + Parents

As above, but with the Year 6 children.

Q&A at 4pm – 5 pm (1 hour) with School Supporters

Friends of the school from within the local community such as councillors, governors, village halls, churches, local head teachers etc. have been invited to attend the event and learn more about SCA and defibrillation. We aim to build awareness, and help eliminate the fear that surrounds defibrillators, and encourage people to use the machine in an emergency.

Event details:

Grange Valley Primary School
Heyes Avenue,
Haydock,
St Helens,
WA11 0XQ

Tel. 01744 678300

Dianne

Defibrillator facts

  • For every minute that passes without defibrillation chances of survival decrease by 7-10%.

  • Heart disease (including heart attacks) was the leading cause of death for both sexes in England and Wales in 2005.

  • Cardiac arrest patients have a survival rate up to 49% when a defibrillator is used within the first five to seven minutes after the attack.

  • The survival rate for SCA is less than 5%. This is due to limited AED accessibility.

  • 30% – 50% of SCA victims would survive if AEDs were used within five minutes.

  • If an SCA sufferer does not need an AED shock, the AED will not deliver.

Dispelling the myths

An important part of the day is to dispel some of the myths and fear factors that currently surround defibrillators. Whilst they look like complicated, high-tech pieces of equipment, they are remarkably straightforward to use and can be operated by anyone with very basic training.

The machines are so sophisticated that they guide the user via verbal and visual commands, instructing them on how to use the machines from the moment they are opened to the final stage of shocking the victim to return them back to a regular heart rhythm. This includes counting beats per minute, to help the user to perform CPR, detecting if the victim is actually in a Cardiac Arrest or not, and only shocking if they are.

Defibrillators for schools

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a sudden failure of the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body and up to the brain. Most often it’s caused by life-threatening arrhythmias, which are abnormalities in the heart’s electrical system.

A defibrillator sends an electronic shock to the heart, which in turn helps to restore a normal heartbeat and get the heart pumping blood back around the body. A defibrillator is a must-have essential in treating a person who has had an SCA. If one goes unnoticed, it can be fatal in as little as two minutes, and 250 people die every day in the UK from SCA. This can happen anywhere from being at work, in a learning environment, at home, or out and about.

Read more on the benefits of defibrillators for schools, here

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