Delta Wellbeing’s community response vehicles will soon be equipped with a life-saving defibrillator thanks to support from Save a Life Cymru.
The donation of six defibrillators will ensure Delta Wellbeing’s 24/7 community response team has access to vital equipment in emergency situations while supporting people in communities across south Wales.
The team provides a round-the-clock service responding to non-medical emergencies, including falls and welfare concerns. They help people to remain safely at home, avoiding unnecessary ambulance callouts and hospital admissions, and providing reassurance to residents and their families when support is needed most.
While the team’s primary role remains responding to non-medical emergencies, having defibrillators available in every response vehicle means responders could make an important difference if they arrive at or encounter a cardiac arrest emergency in the community.
On several occasions, responders have arrived at a customer’s home following the activation of a lifeline alarm and have needed to begin CPR while awaiting the arrival of emergency services.
Save a Life Cymru is a Welsh Government-funded programme delivered by the Welsh Ambulance Service. By encouraging and equipping more people to perform CPR and use a defibrillator, Save a Life Cymru aims to increase survival rates across Wales by creating a nation of lifesavers.
Delta Wellbeing’s Community Response Manager Sarah Poulton said: “Our community response team is out in communities 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week, supporting people when they need help most. Having a defibrillator in every response vehicle is a worthy addition and could make a real difference in a critical situation.
"Every minute matters when somebody suffers a cardiac arrest. While our teams are not a replacement for emergency medical services, carrying this equipment gives us another way to support our communities and reinforces our commitment to helping people stay safe, independent and well.
"We are extremely grateful to Save a Life Cymru and the Welsh Ambulance Service for this generous donation and for the vital work they do in helping more people gain the confidence and skills to save lives.”
Independent Special Adviser to Save a Life Cymru Professor Len Nokes said: “Early action is critical when someone experiences an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Research shows that for every minute without CPR and defibrillation; a person’s chance of survival decreases by up to 10%. That’s why increasing access to defibrillators in local communities across Wales is so important.
“We’re pleased to support Delta Wellbeing by equipping its response vehicles with this life-saving equipment, helping to ensure a defibrillator is available when it is needed most.
“This initiative has been supported through the work of Marc Gower, Save a Life Cymru Community Coordinator, who has worked closely with the Delta Wellbeing team to help bring the project forward. By working together, we can strengthen community response and help save more lives.”
Delta Wellbeing is a Local Authority Trading Company, owned by Carmarthenshire County Council, and supports people to live safely, independently and well in their own homes through a range of technology enabled care, monitoring, wellbeing and community response services.
Save a Life Cymru is an NHS Wales national programme that is innovating community-based approaches using data, research and innovation to optimise outcomes following cardiac arrest.