Inside Salisbury: Life-saving equipment installed in local community area
Defibrillator training available in Salisbury
By Annette J Beveridge
LIFE-SAVING equipment has been installed in a residential area of Salisbury.
A defibrillator which can help to get a heart beating again if someone is in cardiac arrest has been installed at the front of Bemerton Heath Centre on Pinewood Way. The equipment checks the individual’s heart rhythm and gives a shock if needed.
Resident and volunteer Spencer Mulholland, and Councillor Caroline Corbin approached Salisbury City Council’s community development team at the end of 2024 with the idea of bringing this vital resource to Bemerton Heath.
Chair for the Community Services Committee and Cllr for the Bemerton Heath Ward, Caroline Corbin, said: “A community defibrillator is an asset to any community and with or without training is fairly easy to use. We have been fortunate in Salisbury that Spencer Mulholland has been a spearhead for this project and asked me where in Bemerton Heath could be good sites.
“I suggested our own building as with community groups etc., it’s important to be able to access lifesaving equipment at the time of need, without having to hunt around for the nearest device.”
Following their meeting, the head of community services and the council’s facilities team swung into action and within 2 months, the Mindray BeneHeart C1A Defibrillator was installed and is ready for use. D&N Maintenance installed the device for free and 50% of the cost of the device was donated by an anonymous resident.
Spencer Mulholland said: “I'm coordinating the grant, and we were lucky to be donated half the cost of this defibrillator by a very generous member of the public, who I wish to thank sincerely.
“That donation will ultimately save lives. I would also like to thank everyone else that has taken part in this exercise. David Jacobs and his team, Carolyn Port, who's providing training in lifesaving skills and everyone associated with the council.”
Accessible to anyone facing the terrifying prospect of a friend or loved one having a cardiac event, the defibrillator can be accessed by following the instructions on the front of the locked defibrillator cabinet.
The device itself speaks instructions for use, meaning that anyone can use it.
Owner and director of Winterbury Training, Carolyn Port, will be offering defibrillator information sessions at the Bemerton Heath Centre on Friday, February 14 at 3.30 pm and on Tuesday, February 18 at 6 pm. Anyone who would like to attend can just turn up.
Carolyn said: “We have been offering free training on how to use a defibrillator and do CPR following all of the defibrillators going in around the county. It's brilliant that we've got extra resources and lots of people willing to be trained to save lives.”
Head of Community Services, Sarah Gregson, said, “The Bemerton Heath Centre is a real hub for the community, lots of groups of all ages come here on a regular basis, so this is somewhere people are familiar with and they're going to know where this defibrillator is.
“We also have a great relationship with all the young people who walk to and from school, so it's just a real key point. Everybody's going to know where they can get hold of this vital support if they need it.”
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British Heart Foundation research shows that ‘public access defibrillators were available within 500m of a cardiac arrest in 79% of cases, but only used in 10%.’
Public awareness and confidence with use are therefore key.
If used within the first minute, the survival rate can be as high as 90%. If, however, a defibrillator is used within the first 3 to 5 minutes, the likelihood of survival drops by 16%, showing that having a defibrillator close by makes a huge difference.
If anyone can help with fundraising or to suggest a location for these devices, please contact: mulhollandspencer@gmail.com.
