Our Skills and Equipment

As mentioned in the introduction the main focus of community responder groups is to get a very prompt response to patients suffering, or about to suffer a cardiac arrest, and hence the training and equipment we receive is primarily focused on the needs of those patients.

The level of care we can offer a cardiac arrest patient is above that of a basic first aider but obviously well below that of a paramedic. The skills we offer are generally described as 'Intermediate life support' and includes the following: Oxygen therapy Manual Suction Airway Adjuncts Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

All community responders are trained first aiders with additional training in oxygen therapy and AED usage. Before 'going on the road' all community responders are assessed by the trust and throughout their working life are regularly reassessed and updated

Typically community responders are sent to 999 calls where the patient is either in cardiac arrest or the history suggests that they may have or be about to have a cardiac arrest (falls, chest pains, short of breath etc)

Community responders are not routinely sent to dangerous calls (known violent addresses or road traffic accidents) and normally not to paediatrics (a policy that is under review).

Reports of incidents from members of the public are, not unreasonably, notoriously inaccurate, this means that dispatch of people to incidents is not an exact science, and on occasion responders can find themselves arriving at something a bit different to what they were expecting. It is important to be flexible and like a boy scout 'be prepared' for anything.

As time has worn on and community responder groups have proven their worth on other categories of calls the scope of calls we answer is under review, but one thing that will be guaranteed is that community responders will not be pushed into going further than they are happy, trained and assessed as competent to do.

One of the most difficult skills required, and sadly not yet covered in training, is how to dress at 2 am quickly, in the dark and without waking your other half