What is a Community Responder Scheme ?

The Hampshire Division of the South Central Ambulance Service Community Responder Scheme Basingstoke - is made up of groups of volunteers who have been trained to attend emergency calls received by the Communications Centre and to provide First Aid until an emergency ambulance arrives. Dr Richard Cummins from Seattle, USA, found through his studies that if a series of events took place in a set sequence a heart attack victim had a greater chance of survival. The events listed are known as the "Chain of Survival". Early Access Early Resuscitation Early Defibrillation Early Advanced Life Support When put into practice by increasing public awareness, training in basic life support and use of community based defibrillators, this set sequence has improved the pre-hospital survival rate by between 25% - 30%. South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust believes that there has been a significant improvement in the survival rate of patients since introducing the scheme where, on receipt of a life-threatening emergency '999' call, an emergency ambulance is sent immediately and a Community Responder is also directed to the emergency. Community Responder Groups consist of between 10 - 15 volunteer members, with one member being identified to act as the Group Co-ordinator. The volunteers are people who live or work in the area, and who between them, are able to provide one member "on call" through a rota system to provide cover for their Community