Heart rhythm problems affect more than two million people a year in the UK. Certain types of arrhythmia can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, which kills nearly 100,000 people in the UK every year. 

Many of these deaths could be prevented if heart arrhythmias were diagnosed earlier - this is where World Heart Rhythm Week comes in. 

Only 20% of people experiencing a cardiac arrest are in a shockable rhythm when the emergency services arrive at the scene. Without immediate treatment, a whopping 90 – 95% of people will die, which is why it’s so important to promote the use of public access defibrillators.

 

But when you have limited or no experiencing using a defibrillator, where do you start? At imperative training, it’s our mission to save lives and getting people up to speed on how to use defibrillators is top of our priorities. So first things first....

In busy convenience stores, it’s all go. Mums are racing around the aisles trying to do a weekly shop in record time, children are in ninja mode stealthily putting sweets into the basket unnoticed, and staff are constantly on the move restocking shelving and directing customers to checkout areas - there’s always a constant flurry of activity.  

 

Quite often in the hustle and bustle of your store, accidents will occur and unfortunately cannot be avoided no matter how many health and safety policies you have in place. All it takes is an avalanche of apples, a spillage in aisle 12 or a puddle from wet weather conditions to cause an injury.

 

Serious medical emergencies that you have no control of may also occur which is why it is vital that you have qualified first aiders on duty to deal with a crisis protecting both customers and members of staff.