Jonathan Gullis, Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke, today donated a life-saving AED to Linley and Kidsgrove Rugby Club to enhance the safety and wellbeing of the local community. The Club wrote to its local MP earlier in the year asking for his support in its efforts to get a defibrillator and Jonathan Gullis is delighted to be able to support a thriving local rugby club in keeping players safe.
In the UK, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) each year, with a survival rate of less than 10%. The number one factor for survival and recovery from sudden cardiac arrest is early intervention, meaning immediate CPR and rapid defibrillation using an AED to deliver an electric shock. For every minute without treatment, chances of surviving a cardiac arrest decrease by 10 per cent.
Improving survival rates hinges on access to defibrillators. Currently, no legislation exists that mandates such access, except in schools. Recognising this gap, Mr Gullis is championing greater access nationwide alongside improved awareness and training on how to save a life in Parliament. He has been working closely on the state of the UK’s out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest survival rates and has been pushing the Government to make policy changes to support improved access.
As part of these efforts within Parliament, Mr Gullis has met with individuals and families who have experienced the devastating impact of sudden cardiac arrest. These heart-wrenching stories have fuelled his determination to improve accessibility in the UK. This is why he is donating a life-saving defibrillator to the Linley and Kidsgrove Rugby Club, as a part of his ongoing mission to enhance accessibility and ultimately save lives and ensure tragedy does not spread further.
The device which Mr Gullis will be donating – CellAED – represents a new category of AED. The world’s first personal AED, CellAED is a handheld, smart, personal defibrillator, created to make portable defibrillators more accessible to treat sudden cardiac arrest. Its ultracompact size allows effortless carriage in backpacks or sports bags, ensuring easy access in an emergency.
CellAED reflects a change from public to personal AED ownership through its device. It removes sole reliance on public access defibrillators in the UK, instead enabling personal AED ownership for the first-time ever. This increases the potential to bridge the gap in health inequalities and improve survival rates across the UK.
Jonathan Gullis MP expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to the safety of the community, stating, "It is an honour to provide Linley and Kidsgrove Rugby Club with this crucial defibrillator. As Chair of the Defibrillator APPG, I have been working closely on this issue over the past year, meeting a number of different stakeholders highlighting their work to make public safety a priority. I am pleased to be able to provide the Cell-AED, a life-saving device which will potentially save lives and proud to support Linley and Kidsgrove Rugby Club in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of players, spectators and the wider community."
Linley and Kidsgrove RUFC enthusiastically welcomed this generous donation and emphasised the club’s commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all involved in the club's activities. Access to a CellAED will enable the club not only to have an easy-to- use AED onsite but also a portable one to bring along to away games. The club extended their heartfelt thanks to Jonathan Gullis MP and CellAED for their dedication to the welfare of the community.
Benjamin Culff, a sudden cardiac arrest survivor and Ambassador for Rapid Response Revival will also be there on the matchday to highlight the huge benefit of a defibrillator being in such close proximity and with ease of use. This is from personal experience as Benjamin was working as a waiter at Drayton Manor Hotel on August 13th 2017, when he suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest. He was just 17 years old and despite being in good health, he collapsed. Fortunately for Ben his work place had an on-site defibrillator which gave him a second chance at life. Since then, Ben has become an advocate for CPR/Defibrillator awareness and is inspired to use his story as a testament to show that anyone, anywhere, at any time can be in need of a defibrillator. He has worked alongside Tamworth Have a Heart campaign.
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