A group of police forces in the East Midlands have equipped officers with a mobile app to respond to cardiac arrests.
The forces for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire have been using the GoodSAM app in partnership with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).
The service worked by automatically triggering alerts when a 999 call is recorded as a possible cardiac arrest. The alerts sound the mobile phones of first aid trained officers who are logged into the GoodSAM platform and within 800 metres of the incident.
This bridges the gap between a 999 call being received and an ambulance arriving at the scene.
The police forces have reported that over 500 officers have responded to alerts to data and been able to restart the hearts of over 100 people.
Jo Fletcher, associate director for urgent and emergency care integration at EEAST, said: “This is a fantastic example how emergency services are working together to provide the best possible response to the public when they need us. In the event of a cardiac arrest, every minute counts and the sooner a patient can get medical help such as CPR, the better their chances of survival.”
Recently, the initiative has been expanded to include East Midlands Ambulance Service and the London Ambulance Service.
