The Great Western Air Ambulance flies in for visit

The Great Western Air Ambulance team visited an academy in Kingswood to show their knowledge and expertise in dealing with an array of emergency situations.

Around 240 students from Years 7-9 at King’s Oak Academy took part in a range of amazing practical demonstrations.

The session was led by Carlota Appleby, who heads the air ambulance’s team of emergency department doctors from the Bristol Royal Infirmary, 999 call handlers, intensive care unit doctors, emergency care assistants and a paramedic.

During the interactive session, students were given hands-on training on crucial life-saving techniques. Students were instructed how to put people in the recovery position, how to perform CPR and when to use it. They also practiced how to use a defibrillator and where to find them in their local community.

The Great Western Air Ambulance provides emergency care to people who are in a state so critical that they require the specialist skills of their team at the scene of the accident or medical incident.

Though they are part of the regional 999 response service and work closely with NHS hospitals, they are a charity entirely funded by the community.

Robyn Harold, Teacher of Health & Travel and Tourism at King’s Oak, said: “It has been fantastic to have Carlota and her team from the air ambulance charity to run CPR workshops for our students. Our students had the opportunity to practice valuable life-saving skills, including how to use a defibrillator.

“We hope that after these workshops our students are more confident to lead and show others if they were ever to find themselves in a situation to use CPR. The students loved the fact that there were different representatives from across the medical profession.”