We now have a public access defibrillator on the main wall at the front of the surgery, between the pharmacy hatch and the back door by the car park. It is registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, so 999 call handlers can direct people to it.
If someone collapses:
A few months ago, a member of the public dashed into the surgery and asked for our defibrillator. Our team sprang into action, grabbed our crash trolley (which holds the defibrillator, oxygen and other emergency equipment) and went out of the front door, expecting to find someone in difficulty just outside. In fact, the poorly person was a couple of streets away, in their own home. Thankfully they were fine in the end, and the person who came to us for help had acted quickly: when they were asked if they knew where a defibrillator was, they said yes and ran round to us.
When we looked back at what happened, we realised that people will naturally come to a GP surgery for help. With hindsight we should not have taken our emergency equipment out of the building, but we could not stand by and not help either. The best answer was a public defibrillator outside the building, registered on The Circuit, so the 999 service could direct people straight to it.
We approached Donate for Defib WsM, who work with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and AMS Electrical South West. All we needed to do was raise £2,000 for the equipment. AMS Electrical would fit it, and Donate for Defib and the air ambulance charity would make sure it was set up correctly and added to The Circuit.
We remembered that one of our patients had once asked if he could make a donation to the surgery, as thanks for the care he had received. So we very cheekily asked whether he might donate towards this goal, and he immediately said he would pay for the whole defibrillator. We had lift off!
Before we knew it, the machine had been delivered, AMS Electrical had fitted it as part of their charitable work, and it was set up and ready for use. The only thing still to come is the plaque for the wall, but we are good to go.
It is amazing that an incident in which essential equipment left the building has turned into a lasting legacy for local people who may one day need this lifesaving equipment.
We are so very grateful to everyone involved: Donate for Defib WsM, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, AMS Electrical South West and, above all, the patient who donated the funding for the machine. What a wonderful story!