The first of several life saving Community Public Access Defibrillator (cPAD) schemes for Suffolk was recently launched in the village of East Bergholt, Suffolk. The equipment, located on the wall of the local pub, is housed in a yellow CHT vandal resistant box. It is accessed by using a keypad and code, which is given by the East of England Ambulance Trust when a 999 call is made.

 

The East Bergholt Community Responder scheme has supported this ‘wilderness’ installation. The group was established 10 years ago - one of the first in the country - after a villager had died from a sudden cardiac arrest and there was no defibrillator available. Now with a team of 16 volunteers covering the villages of East Bergholt, Brantham, and Holton St Mary, the group has extended its cover by the use of a cPAD scheme.

The CFR scheme is a charity in its own right and relies on public donations for its support. The cPAD scheme is run by the Community HeartBeat Trust charity as part of its national cPAD initiative, and is fully supported by the East of England Ambulance NHS Trust. The East Bergholt ‘Heartwatch’ community responder scheme has been responsible for the installation of this cPAD scheme.

Group treasurer Anne Chapman said “The idea came about to get one at the east end of our village because it was an isolated area separated from the main village centre by at least a mile of open country, and there were no responders living nearby” She went on to say “It takes much longer to get to the east end of the village and now we are hoping that the Defibrillator cabinet will help save more lives as well as encouraging nearby residents to become responders”.

The East Bergholt Community Responder scheme has supported this ‘wilderness’ installation. The group was established 10 years ago - one of the first in the country - after a villager had died from a sudden cardiac arrest and there was no defibrillator available. Now with a team of 16 volunteers covering the villages of East Bergholt, Brantham, and Holton St Mary, the group has extended its cover by the use of a cPAD scheme. The CFR scheme is a charity in its own right and relies on public donations for its support. The cPAD scheme is run by the Community HeartBeat Trust charity as part of its national cPAD initiative, and is fully supported by the East of England Ambulance NHS Trust.

Disclaimer

Please make sure you have read and understood this disclaimer - It will be assumed that you have read prior to CHT receiving any request. CHT are not responsible for your fund raising, nor your cPAD operations, but may assist in both. CHTs only aim is to support the installation of a cPAD scheme in the most cost effective way possible adhering to Best Practice, and help save lives in your community. This website, and any downloaded information, is for information only on how to go about obtaining and installing a cPAD, and other relevant information. All copyrights and trademarks are recognised. All support for the cPAD will be undertaken by the village committee responsible and via standard manufacturers warranties. Any training organisation will only be responsible for the initial awareness training and not for the functioning or maintenance of the AED. Please do not send any monies to CHT until you have registered your scheme with us, and have agreement from the local ambulance service for the establishment of a cPAD scheme. All schemes must be registered with the local ambulance service (CHT will also undertake this or you can do via this site, but this does not remove responsibility for you to notify the local ambulance service of your AED location). 999/112 (ambulance) must always be called prior to using a cPAD equipment. VAT may be applicable if your organisation is not an eligible body as defined by HMRC. All current or historical claims for VAT will be met by the local community. All schemes will be asked to sign an agreement taking responsibility for their own fund raising and donations to CHT, and then the operation and maintenance of the cPAD equipment. All CHT provided schemes will need to manage their maintenance through the WebNoS online system as a condition of CHT support. It is your responsibility to maintain the equipment in working order and to make sure the local ambulance service is aware of this. WebNoS makes this possible and also acts as an audit trail for management of the equipment. Sites provided by CHT and not using WebNoS may be disengaged from the ambulance service CAD systems. Any web site showing defibrillator locations is for information only, and should not be used in preference to dialling 999. CHT works in close cooperation with the UK ambulance services. Always dial 999 in an emergency

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