A nursery provider now has life-saving devices on hand at 19 of its West Midlands settings thanks to support from the ambulance service and Cardiac Science.

Busy Bees nurseries across the West Midlands were proud to unveil automated external defibrillators at their sites this week, to coincide with Family Safety Week. The devices can help in the event of someone having a cardiac arrest; when they stop breathing and their heart stops beating.

In October last year, Busy Bees took part in ‘Restart a Heart Day’ with West Midlands Ambulance Service which saw more than 37,000 youngsters receive vital life-saving training in the region. The Trust supported Busy Bee’s in the installations and each AED is now publicly accessible during the nursery opening hours, meaning if there’s a cardiac arrest in the nearby area, the device can be used by a member of the public to help save a life. Bobby Qayum, the Trust’s Community Response Manager, said:

“It’s great to see that Busy Bees has made such a big investment in AEDs. Teaching vital CPR skills and how to recognise a cardiac arrest, are important parts of the work we carry out.

"The more AEDs that are installed in businesses and public spaces, the more lives that can potentially be saved.”

The latest AEDs to be installed, supplied by Cardiac Science, are part of a nationwide campaign by Busy Bees which has seen more than 350 AEDs installed in its nurseries across the UK. Jess Sandall, Nursery Manager at Busy Bees St Matthews in Burntwood added:

“Protecting and safeguarding the children in our care is our top priority and that’s why we’ve undertaken this potentially lifesaving initiative. We see it as part of our commitment to best practice and to deliver outstanding care to our children, as well as to protect staff, parents and visitors.

“Although we hope that our defibrillator never has to be used, it means that if the worst-case scenario happens, we are able to increase the survival chance of anyone who has a cardiac arrest inside or within minutes of our nursery.”