CALLS have been made for a defibrillator to be installed in Bell Court.
The appeal comes after a cinemagoer suffered a heart attack while watching a film at the Everyman Cinema in the newly revamped Stratford shopping centre.
Off-duty nurse Laura Hall began life saving CPR after the 65 year-old woman collapsed between the seats while watching a screening of Wonder Woman with her husband on Thursday (June 22).
Café customer Gill Cleeve – who is trained in first aid – had rushed in to offer her assistance after she heard someone shout ‘she’s not breathing’.
As a team they worked to keep the woman alive, with Gill giving chest compressions and Laura giving mouth to mouth. A staff member retrieved the defibrillator from Sheep Street but emergency services – alerted by the duty manager – were already on the scene.
The team were able to re-start the woman’s heart using their own equipment before rushing her to hospital where she later died.
Ms Cleeve said: “I cannot stress enough the importance of learning Basic Life Support as you never know when you’ll need it. Also we are lucky enough in Stratford to have a number of Public Access Defibrillators, and I really want the public to know that they are very safe and easy to use and people should not be afraid to use one along side CPR if the need arises.
“I think the new Bell Court should have its own installed, although the one on Sheep Street is not far away, but every second counts.”
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman echoed the call for more people to learn first aid. He added: “In the unfortunate event of a cardiac arrest, it is always a welcome site when staff arrive on scene to see that bystanders have started CPR.
“The earlier CPR begins, the better the chance the patient has of survival.
“We urge everyone to learn how to do CPR and find out where your nearest defibrillator is as you never know when it will be your turn to try and save a life.”
