Your support is at the heart of everything we do.
When Ann had a cardiac arrest, a chain of events ensured her survival. Her daughter arrived home just in time to call 999. The postman was approaching the house and performed CPR. An ambulance crew reached her quickly to deliver defibrillation. And a Specialist Paramedic from Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) placed her on life support so she could safely reach hospital for further care.
We call this the Chain of Survival.
Every minute truly counts for someone experiencing a cardiac arrest. In fact, with each minute that passes when nobody does anything to help, the chance of survival drops by 10%.
We are called to more than 500 people suffering a cardiac arrest each year - that's around quarter of all our call-outs. We know that the care a cardiac arrest patient receives before we arrive is vital. That's why, with your help, we can make a difference at every step of the chain.
Your support can give every patient their best chance to survive.
"We're called to cardiac arrests more than any other emergency. Ann is a perfect example of how our work can help a cardiac arrest patient from the moment their emergency starts - from our programmes teaching CPR, to the way we integrate and work closely with other ambulance crews, and the quick decisions we're able to make to deliver specialist treatment and ensure the patient reaches the right hospital."
Callum, GWAAC Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care
How your support can make the ultimate difference for patients in cardiac arrest.
Saving lives, before we arrive, with our Great Western Hearts Programme.
We visit schools, businesses and community groups across our region to teach people how to identify a cardiac arrest and how to deliver CPR. So far nearly 30,000 people have learned this lifesaving skill, and our ambition is to teach 10,000 more people every year.
We want to ensure as many people as possible who suffer a cardiac arrest can receive CPR - and defibrillation - within three minutes. This early care can boost survival rates from less than 10% to over 70%. That's why we work with people and organisations to install more lifesaving defibrillators wherever they're needed.
With your help, we can continue this important work across our community, so that as many people as possible can receive quick and effective care when they need it.
Bringing the emergency department to the scene for every patient.
We bring advanced skills in pre-hospital care, powerful medicines to stabilise the patient, and the ability to make quick diagnosis and decisions. Specialist kit like advanced airway management equipment and mechanical ventilators allow us to take over a patient's breathing, blood gas analysers show us vital information such as blood oxygen levels in real time, and the LUCAS machine delivers mechanical CPR.
All of this means we can give the patient the best possible care, whilst ensuring they reach the most appropriate hospital.
A donation from you today means we can continue giving cardiac arrest patients their best possible chance to survive. This winter, your support can restart hearts.
Your support can keep more families like Ann's together this winter.
"I wouldn’t have been able to celebrate Christmas this year without mum, it just wouldn’t have been the same. On the day she had her cardiac arrest, I remember saying to the paramedics, over and over, ‘she’s so strong, she’s too strong’, begging them not to stop trying to save her. To look at her now, she’s still so strong. My mum is still here with me thanks to all the people who helped us that day – I can’t thank them enough for that."
Sarah, Ann’s daughter
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