Ambulance service plans to speed up heart attack help

Ambulance chiefs in the North East are aiming to increase the survival chances for people who suffer a cardiac arrest – thanks to a mobile app.
The North East Ambulance Service is using a phone app system to speed up treatment for those who suffer cardiac arrests.The North East Ambulance Service is using a phone app system to speed up treatment for those who suffer cardiac arrests.
The North East Ambulance Service is using a phone app system to speed up treatment for those who suffer cardiac arrests.

North East Ambulance Service has switched on GoodSam – a mobile app that alerts community first responders – to an incident, in a bid to boost the numbers of people who survive cardiac arrest in the region.

GoodSAM connects with a community of first-aid-trained responders, willing to assist during a cardiac arrest.

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It will automatically notify nearby responders of a medical emergency – connecting those in need with those who have the skills to provide critical help before the emergency services arrive.

The app is free to download on all smartphones.

Approximately 60,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital in England every year but the survival rate is only 8.6% if there is a delay in treatment. This is significantly lower than countries like Holland (21%) and Norway (25%) which have more people capable of giving CPR.

Gareth Campbell, clinical operations manager at NEAS says, “This is excellent news for the North East and means that those special skills our workforce uses every day to help save lives are even more accessible.

“By ensuring a patient has a clear airway and quality CPR is in place in those first few minutes, they are more likely to achieve a good outcome.”The NEAS emergency operations centre will alert the three nearest responders to life-threatening incidents and simultaneously dispatch an ambulance, giving the patient the best possible chance of survival.