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Date: 5 October 2023

Author: Rachel Bartlett

Residents and visitors in the heart of Poole’s old town have been given 24-hour access to a potential lifesaver thanks to our community-minded staff.

Members of our community committee have bought and positioned a defibrillator on the outside wall of our Castle Street headquarters, Strata House, close to Poole Quay.

Within 48 hours of the installation, we received a notification that the box had been accessed by a member of the public who also rang the emergency services.

Georgina Newman, MSP Capital Receptionist who led on the installation, said: “It goes to show that this will make a huge impact on our local community and the ambulance service.

“It means a lot to me and the rest of Team MSP that we have been able to provide this vital piece of kit in the local area which is usually very busy.

“It was surprisingly simple to order, install and register the kit. I would encourage as many companies as possible to do this and help give someone in need a better chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.”

The kit is an automated external defibrillator (AED), which works by delivering a high energy, electric shock to the heart through the chest wall and is most effective when administered in the first minutes after a cardiac victim collapses.

We have registered the AED with the Circuit, a national defibrillator network, and the ambulance service.

This means that if someone at the location makes an emergency call due to a cardiac issue, they will be given the code to unlock the secure case holding the lifesaving tool and instructions.

The fact that it was used so soon after installation has prompted us to organise training in CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, for staff.

Paul Miracca, MSP Capital’s Joint Managing Director, said: “Installing the defibrillator is all about giving reassurance to people in our community.

“At the same time, by offering staff training we can ensure our team feel empowered to help if another emergency should occur.”

The defibrillator is part of our ongoing ESG strategy, Foundations for Better Futures, which is run by the community committee and encompasses a commitment to support ‘people, community, industry and environment’.

According to the British Heart Foundation, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year with a survival rate of fewer than one in ten. The Foundation says early CPR and defibrillation can double the chances of survival.

The new defibrillator is one of only a handful of outdoor AEDs in Poole to be registered on the Circuit and available 24 hours a day.

Data collected on UK cities in 2022 by occupational health and safety specialist CE Safety indicated that Bournemouth had one of the lowest numbers of AEDs, with just 10 registered. Birmingham had the most with 954.

MSP Capital moved to Strata House in 2021. In the same year, we teamed up with chartered surveyors Wellington King to donate a portable AED to the Cherries Community Trust, the charitable arm of Premier League team AFC Bournemouth.

STANDING BY: The new defibrillator, accessible 24 hours a day, is located on the outside wall of our Strata House office in Castle Street in the heart of Poole old town. Postcode: BH15 1BQ. From left are MSP Capital colleagues Lucy Green, Compliance Analyst, and Louise Garner, Junior Underwriter, both members of our community committee who funded the defibrillator; Georgina Newman, Receptionist, who led on its installation; and Melissa Parker, Office Manager and People Advisor.

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