Garden centre retailer Dobbies has rolled out a potentially lifesaving defibrillator and CPR training programme in Livingston supporting the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to help improve survival rates from cardiac arrest.
There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, but less than one in ten people survive, often because those around them don’t have the skills or confidence to perform CPR.
Now to help save more lives, Dobbies’ 4,000 team members across all 76 of its stores, including Livingston, and its Central Support Office are being encouraged to complete RevivR – the BHF’s online tool which teaches vital CPR skills for free in just 15 minutes – and all that is needed is a mobile phone and a firm cushion to practice on.
RevivR shows how to recognise a cardiac arrest, gives feedback on chest compressions and outlines the correct steps of using a defibrillator, giving anyone the confidence to help in the ultimate medical emergency.
The retailer has also committed to registering all of its 77 defibrillators, one in each store and Central Support Office, on The Circuit2, the national defibrillator network, which connects defibrillators to NHS ambulance services across the UK. This ensures in those crucial moments after a cardiac arrest, they can be accessed quickly to help save lives.
Paul Green, head of people experience, at Dobbies, said: “We are proud to be working with the British Heart Foundation on this important initiative, which we hope will help save lives. We want to enable all our team at the Livingston store to learn CPR and to know how simple defibrillators are to use. We are committed to creating a safe environment for our customers and our team, and I am proud to celebrate this landmark moment for our stores.”
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, added: “A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and it could happen to someone you love. Knowing what to do in those vital moments could mean the difference between life and death. We want to thank Dobbies for their support and for working with us to make sure even more people have the skills they need to save a life.”
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