Off-duty nurses recognised for saving man's life

Tuesday 01 September 2020

Two nurses are to be given a Recognition of Performance Award for administering life-saving CPR while off-duty in August last year.

Intensive Care Nurse Kristy Grant and Community Nurse Sue Black came to the aid of Robin Sweets when he began to feel unwell behind the bar at the Belgrave Wanderers club house. He was suffering chest pains and struggling to breathe.

Within minutes, Mr Sweets had collapsed, and a member of the public called 999. The two off-duty nurses immediately recognised the signs of cardiac arrest, and administered life-saving aid. Ms Grant gave chest compressions while Ms Black maintained his airway.

Mr Sweets was still unresponsive when the ambulance crew arrived, who continued resuscitation attempts and attached a defibrillator and oxygen. Within minutes, his heart began to beat and he was breathing again, at which point he was taken to the Emergency Department for further treatment.

Mr Sweets spent several days in Intensive Care at the PEH, and a total of thirteen weeks in hospital before being flown to Southampton for surgery. He has since made a full recovery.

Pictured: Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp will present a Recognition of Performance Award to Ms Grant and Ms Black at the Belgrave Wanderers Club House at 14:00 today. 

He is ‘eternally grateful’ to the two nurses for their actions, which ‘undoubtedly gave him the best chance of survival,’ according to St John Ambulance Service. Mr Sweets said everyone should be encouraged to learn basic CPR and life-saving first aid.

When a person suffers from cardiac arrest, their chance of survival drops by 10% for every minute that passes. Early recognition, calling 999 and administering CPR are the first links in the ‘Chain of Survival’ that keeps them alive.

Guidance on how to administer CPR to an adult can be found on the St John website HERE.