Defibrillator installed at Telford hotel after tragedy
A lifesaving defibrillator has been installed in a Telford hotel after the death of a general manager when there was no medical equipment nearby which may have saved his life.
The AED (Automated External Defibrillator) at the Buckatree Hall Hotel, at the foot of The Wrekin, is to help both walkers and hotel guests who have a cardiac arrest.
It has been installed to coincide with Re-Start a Heart Week, an education campaign run by health organisations.
Buckatree Hall Hotel general manager Wayne Jenson said it was a tragic event in which a close friend and colleague died after a heart attack at one of their sister hotels in Cumbria which spurred them into action to ensure it was not repeated in Shropshire.
“We are a hotel with a heart, a hotel that serves the local community and believes in paying back to that community,” he said. “The Wrekin is a popular landmark with locals and tourists and Buckatree Hall Hotel plays a vital part in the area. It is inevitable that from time to time people will be taken ill on the hills and this defibrillator may save lives.
Wellington Rotarians, who meet at the hotel every Friday lunchtime, agreed to pay half the costs with the remainder paid for by the hotel. Guests have also played their part to boost the charitable cause by making donations for second hand books supplied by Jane Jina, the wife of the hotel’s financial controller, as part of the fundraising campaign.
Peter Williams, president of the Wellington Rotary, said: “A defibrillator can save lives. There are a number of organisations which meet at the hotel regularly and we are all of an age where someone may need it."
He said that SP Services, a Shropshire emergency medical equipment supplier, was called in to supply the device.
An AED gives a high energy electric shock to the heart to help revive someone who is in cardiac arrest.
Paul Watts, of SP Services, of Hortonwood, Telford, said it was vital that those on the scene first dial 999 and then start CPR to keep the blood flowing around the body before using the defibrillator.
He urged people to enrol at free CPR and AED training sessions as part of Restart a Heart Day which aims to teach lifesaving skills.
