Xscape Milton Keynes is already home to Europe’s premiere indoor slopes and indoor skydiving tunnel; and now they have taken a giant leap towards beating heart disease.
Thanks to a team effort with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), funds were contributed equally from both Xscape and the nation’s heart charity to purchase an on-site defibrillator for the entertainment venue.
Around 90,000 people die from heart attacks every year (1). Defibrillators deliver a controlled electric shock to the heart in order to restore a normal heartbeat after a cardiac arrest. As part of the joint venture with the BHF, trained security staff at Xscape will now have access to the potentially life-saving equipment, should an emergency occur.
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust provided the training and Divisional Responder Manager Richard Tracey from the trust said, ‘we are very pleased to have been involved with this project, early defibrillation can make a real difference to a cardiac arrest patient and I hope more organisations will consider installing a defibrillator’.
Claire O’Neill, Community Resuscitation Lead for the BHF, was keen to champion this partnership: “We are passionate about improving outcome after an out of hospital cardiac arrest. Currently, one in three people who have a heart attack die before even reaching the hospital. Research shows that survival decreases 14% each minute that defibrillation is delayed and cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) doubles a patient’s chances of survival. We congratulate Xscape in being a pro-active organisation who have recognised volunteer responders who defibrillate can save lives. We encourage all other large organisations and institutions in Milton Keynes to consider this important issue.”
Simon Morrison, General Manager of Xscape, said: “It’s great that we are able to support such an important charity – as a landmark building in Milton Keynes, we are very pleased to be able to lead the way in this highly worthwhile cause.”
Heart and circulatory disease claims around 200,000 lives each year (1). Through crucial research, as well as partnerships such as this one, the British Heart Foundation are working around the clock to reduce this statistic. For more information about the BHF, visit www.bhf.org.uk