Defibrillators save lives

If you have a heart attack then the best chance of you not dying on the spot is if someone can get a defibrillator to treat you within 5 minutes. For every minute after an attack your chances of survival without such treatment drops by 14%.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and "mouth to mouth" is still important as a last resort but in comparison with defibrillators this does not save as many lives.

Defibrillators are small hand held safe electronic devices that automatically diagnoses life threatening conditions and applies a treatment that can restart someones heart. It saves lives without further risk to the person you are helping or yourself. There are no real legal risks for you or your organisation (unless you are completely stupid and act in a grossly negligent manner).

I have signed up to this public e-petiton call for all public buildings to install defibrillators and train staff. This petition came about after the tragic death of teenager Oliver King and points out that it is not only older people who are at risk but 12 youngsters die every week from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS).  The footballer Fabrice Muamba who dramatically collapsed in March was saved by a defibrillator.

As I have mentioned before my father (aged 72) had a heart attack in a high street. He was given CPR and mouth to mouth by a trained first aider but was certified dead when he arrived in hospital (he was doing a 14 day long distance walk and camping out wild which he had been warned by his GP not to do so but that is another matter). My family have wondered whether or not if a defibrillator had been available it would have made any difference? We will never know but the evidence suggests it could have done if carried out within this 5 minute window.

I have spoken to Monica who is our Regional Equalities officer and a fully qualified NHS nurse who has carried out CPR and saved lives through defibrillation and Eric who is the very experienced paramedic branch secretary of the London Ambulance Service, both fully support lay people being trained to use defibrillators and they believe it will save lives.

My employer at our joint health and safety committee has agreed to look into providing defibrillators at our offices and training staff. I would encourage all employees to do the same.

NB To be clear if you come across someone who appears to be having a heart attack and there is no defibrillator available and you have not been trained to do CPR then follow the advice of my London Welsh compatriot Vinnie!

Hat tip Jake Morrison

Interview with Asahi Shimbun Correspondent

Last week I was interviewed by Wataru Sawamura (picture left) who is a correspondent for the Japanese newspaper "Asahi Shimbun". This is the 2nd most popular paper in Japan. He had also interviewed previously our Regional Equalities Convenor, Monica Hirst who is a NHS nurse. Wataru explained that he is interested in finding out more about the human cost of austerity in the public sector but also in Japan the public sector was seen as offering secure employment.  Many Japanese who work in the sector were worried about their future and what was happening to such jobs elsewhere.

I tried to explain the impact of housing benefit cuts in London which will result in the "cleansing" of the poor from much of London. Wataru understood this concern and expressed his view that one of the notable things about London is that the poor and the rich lived next door to each other unlike other more polarised capital cities such as Paris.

We also discussed that in the UK many public services such as the care and support of the elderly and the disabled are provided by the  third sector ("not for profit" Housing associations and charities). Yet currently there was a race to the gutter by some providers and commissioners of such services. Decent providers are being undercut by rogues (Rachman Employers) who win contacts to care for the vulnerable by sacking and demoting workers while also slashing their pay and conditions.  

Wataru had not heard of the book "The Spirit Level" and its praise of Japan as being the most equal society in the world with regard to income inequality and the benefits that come from this. I said that in my understanding in Japan unlike the UK if an organisation has genuine economic difficulties then their managers will usually act as leaders and volunteer for pay cuts before asking their staff for sacrifices. In the UK some care and support charities cut the pay of their (already low paid) staff and then go on to pay their senior management team bonuses for reducing such costs.

Wataru accepted that in Japan mangers did take their responsibilities carefully but in recent year’s most new jobs had been on short term agency contracts so many Japanese are very worried about the future direction that their society will take.  

London Regional Council Officer Election Results 2012

REGIONAL CONVENOR

HANSON Gloria         122 Elected 

THOMPSON Marsha Jane  69


DEPUTY REGIONAL CONVENOR

LAWRENCE Conroy  118 Elected 

WATKINS Phoebe       71 


REGIONAL FINANCE CONVENOR

GRAY John                 126 Elected

SANGARAPILLAI Vinothan 62
                

REGIONAL PUBLICITY OFFICER

BAIN Naomi          71 

BENTLEY Lynn    112 Elected


REGIONAL EQUALITIES CONVENOR

CASHMAN Ruth   69

HIRST Monica       118 Elected  

Greater London UNISON Regional Council Officers 2012/2013

We were re-elected at the AGM today. Many thanks to all those who supported us :)

UNISON London Regional Council AGM

Today is the UNISON London Regional Council AGM. Where the forces of light and reason will once again face the evil ones. I've enjoyed recently the paranoid and distorted ramblings of their wannabe dear leader and his attempts to rewrite history.

His righteous posts remind me why London Unison members got fed up with the self indulgent pantomime student union politics of Regional Councils in the past and voted with their feet not to attend. Of the time that London Regional Council (yes, the most important region) was regarded with amusement by the rest of the union, an irrelevance by most employers and a private club run by Monty Python "Life of Brian" reenactment enthusiasts by many members.

So to stop going back to the bad old days and to continue to build the fastest growing region in the union may I respectfully request if you are a London delegate reading this on your smartphone to:-

VOTE FOR:
Gloria Hanson – Regional Convenor
Conroy Lawrence – Deputy Regional Convenor
John Gray – Regional Finance Convenor
Monica Hirst – Regional Equalities Convenor
Lynn Bentley – Regional Publicity Officer

Jessie Jackson 70th Birthday Party in UNISON HQ

Last night UNISON hosted a 70th Birthday Party in honour of Rev Jessie Jackson at the UNISON Centre in Euston, London. Our President Eleanor Smith introduced Rev Jackson and Keith Vas MP. Labour Leader Ed Miliband was the keynote speaker.  This fantastic song was sung live by the Rev Jackson's daughter Santita. In the video background are my fellow London UNISON Regional Council colleagues Gloria, Monica and Conroy (and a few other UNISON faces).

Update: if you have trouble opening video check youtube