Visitors and worshipers at one of Wales’ cathedrals are now assured of emergency first aid in the event of someone having a heart attack.
Cardiff-based training company Ajuda has recently installed a defibrillator and provided training at Newport Cathedral.
Dawn Evans, founder and managing director of Ajuda, said: “We were thrilled to be of assistance to the congregation and team at Newport Cathedral. They are going the extra mile for their parishioners and visitors who can be confident they will receive excellent care in the event of a cardiac emergency.”
Ten parishioners were taught by Dawn how to use a defibrillator. A defibrillator costs around £1,000 and any organisation which has one must be trained to use it safely. The machine can help to save a life by giving a high energy electric shock to the heart in certain types of cardiac arrest.
Dawn said: “CPR on its own will give a three to four per cent chance of survival if started with three minutes. Combined with a defibrillator, again if started within three minutes can raise the chance of survival as high as 74 %.
“Every minute that passes with CPR and defib, their chance of survival will deteriorate rapidly.”
In the case of Newport Cathedral, the potentially life-saving machine was generously donated by a member of the congregation.
Dr Gwyn Thomas, a retired consultant anesthetist from Newport, took part in the training.
He said: “Evidence has shown the quicker a person’s cardiac rhythm can be restored the better their recovery. Having this defibrillator will mean we’re able to give first aid to the growing number of people using our cathedral. It isn’t just used for services but for a growing number of big events such as concerts.
“It’s good to know if someone has a problem we can deal with it. Thanks to Ajuda we have ten people trained up, and if in the unfortunate event somebody suffers a cardiac arrest when inside or near the cathedral, they will have an increased chance of survival.”
Ajuda is a multi award winning company based in Cardiff running 52 courses including health and safety courses such including first aid, manual handling, health & safety, food hygiene training and fire safety throughout Wales and the rest of the UK.
