A theatre nurse with more than two decades’ experience is on a mission to give people basic medical training to save rural lives.
Fiona Prosho created her company She Revives to give training to small groups to ensure they know what to do if there is a cardiac arrest.
The Stainton resident, originally from Lincolnshire, worked at James Cook and Northallerton hospitals before going into private medical care. She moved to the area six years ago.
She was struck by how many defibrillators there are in villages around the dale, but was concerned that not enough people know how to use them.
She said: “Only one in ten people out of hospital survive a cardiac arrest, which isn’t much. If you use proper training and use defibrillators, that can increase the chances of survival by 50 per cent.
“Eighty per cent of cardiac arrests happen in the home, so this is why it is so important to teach as many people as possible.
“In the UK today 38 per cent of adults have not had any training at all.”
Her courses are two hours long and include a theoretical chat, a demonstration of compressions (CPR) on mannequins, airway management, recovery position, choking and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
She aims to provide the training free to community groups and have small classes with people who want to learn at a cost of £20 per person.
Ms Prosho said: “At the Raby Arms, Andrea Dye has been really good and she has given me a room for free, and also Marshall’s coffee shop in town, Rachel Elliot, is letting me use one of their rooms.”
Interest from the public has been significant with an event at Marshalls on January 31 already fully booked, and only a few places remain at a training session at the Raby Arms on January 21 from 2pm to 4pm.
A session with the Brownies group is also on the cards for January.
Anyone interested in attending a class can ring Ms Prosho on 07749 940335 or email s[email protected]
