If shoppers at Aylesbury’s Friars Square Shopping Centre suffer an accident or are taken ill, at least there are trained NHS Community Responders.
Pictured are back: Paul Kirkham (Security Manager); Gill Perrottet (Marketing Manager); Sean Hamill (Technical Services Manager) and security officers Gordon Sime and Khalil Rhaman; five of the nine trained.
Nine centre staff, including security officers and managers, have been trained by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SCAS), and have completed a Basic Life Support and AED course. The main difference compared with basic first aid is that the staff have been trained on a defibrillator and oxygen sets, kept on the shopping mall.
It means that while an ambulance is on its way to the centre, patients can get immediate attention. Training includes how to deal with people unconscious or suffering respiratory or circulation problems and other medical emergencies. The responders have also been trained in patient assessment to save time when an ambulance crew arrives.
The responders work with SCAS responders who patrol the centre of the town on mountain bikes and, to help their work, an office has been provided in Friars Square. The scheme was launched in time for 2007 Christmas While SCAS provide some basic supplies and all the training, including a six-monthly refresher course, the major equipment has been donated by Apple Security, the contractor providing security officers in Friars Square.
If a security officer notices someone in difficulty, or they are seen by a centre CCTV operator, staff community responders are alerted and attend. Friars Square security control then notifies SCAS emergency operations control to send an ambulance. Or, if a member of the public dials 999, the emergency operations control will not only send an ambulance but also alert Friars Square so that their staff community responder can attend immediately. This facility covers most of the centre of Aylesbury, including the rail station, bus station and surrounding shopping streets and car parks.
About the scheme
Paul Kirkham, Friars Square security manager said: “All of our security officers must have a basic knowledge of first aid to qualify to work here. However, with a reasonable frequency of visitors to the centre suffering medical problems, we considered that it would be useful to equip our staff with much more than the basic skills. This means that our customers, possibly without being aware of the fact, have a level of protection in Friars Square, which, as far as I am aware, is not matched anywhere else. Fortunately the type of incident that occurs is usually relatively minor, but even a fall and broken arm can ruin a day out shopping, let alone a suspected heart attack! So this is a winning situation for everyone: the public get immediate treatment if needed; the ambulance paramedics have an initial assessment done for when they arrive; and the centre of Aylesbury is a much safer environment in which to shop.”
