GOOD-quality local healthcare has been my Number 1 priority since being elected MP two and a bit years ago.
With both my parents giving their working lives to the NHS, I know at firsthand how important our local health services are.
Much of my attention, particularly this summer, has been focussed on defending services at the Friarage Hospital and also at Darlington Memorial.
But while those issues remain challenging for me and everyone else fighting to retain the facilities we currently have at those hospitals, there are also some incredibly good things happening with our local healthcare.
A great example is the initiative I was kindly invited to help launch last Saturday – the Community First Responders (CFR) scheme in Low Row, Swaledale.
The new CFR scheme is a partnership between Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) and a group of volunteers living in the upper dale.
The authorised ambulance service volunteers work as part of a dedicated team which aims to reduce the number of pre-hospital deaths in Yorkshire.
In many medical emergencies – such as a stroke or heart attack - the first few minutes are critical and if effective treatment can be provided within that time, lives can be saved.
CFRs are trained to use basic life support skills, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, use of an automated external defibrillator and the administration of oxygen prior to the arrival of an ambulance clinician.
That training and the skills of the volunteers are reassessed on a regular basis to ensure high standards.
There has been a CFR scheme operating in nearby Reeth for some years now and the new Low Row team will enable the upper dale to be covered more effectively.
At last Saturday’s launch and open morning, I met many of the wonderful volunteers who are making this scheme a reality and had the chance to brush up my own rather rusty life-saving skills. It’s been a long time since I learnt basic CPR techniques while helping out in my Dad’s GP surgery as a teenager and it was fascinating to find out how best practice has changed over the years.
From talking to the volunteers, I discovered that CFRs come from all different walks of life and volunteer for many different reasons. Anyone who wants to help their community can become a CFR. No previous medical experience or training is necessary although you will need to be able to drive, have a caring attitude and be able to cope with potentially distressing situations.
They have enough volunteers to sustain the on-call rota at Low Row but more will always be welcome. It was gratifying to hear that in the course of the open morning four people came forward wanting to know more about becoming a CFR. Anybody else who thinks they might be able to help should contact Richard Lewis on 01748 886112.
Pat Murphy, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service CFR co-ordinator for our part of North Yorkshire, told me the CFR network is growing all the time and currently, in the area between Hawes and Great Ayton, there are more than 160 volunteers capable of providing a CFR service. That’s a tremendous community resource and our thanks are due to them all for providing such a valuable life-saving service.