C&C housing officer praised after saving resident's life

A C&C housing service officer has been lauded for his quick actions that almost certainly saved the life of a resident living at his scheme.

Andy Duke, who works at Vivian Court, found one of the home’s residents unconscious and unresponsive at the foot of the Court’s 5^th floor on Monday 31 January. The resident had lost her balance and fallen down five steep steps onto her head, which triggered a cardiac arrest. Andy, who had received CPR training as part of his training programme at C&C, was alerted by a cleaner to the incident and began performing CPR immediately.

“When I reached the resident, her face had turned purple and was slightly cold to touch. I immediately began performing CPR.

“A contractor working on a nearby flat heard me calling for help and put the emergency services on speakerphone so I could hear their instructions. Her breathing was shallow and intermittent between compressions, and she wasn’t breathing at all for some scarily extended periods.”

By the time that paramedics arrived at the scene, Andy had been performing CPR for 14 minutes.

“I was not optimistic that she would make it,” he said. “I just kept thinking ‘this is NOT where your life ends.’”

The resident was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where she spent a few weeks in the major trauma ward before being sent home.

“She is still recovering from the incident but, thankfully, has a care package in place alongside family members to support her,” Andy added.

“I know she feels as though she has been given a second chance. Ultimately, I just did what any caring human being would do, when faced with such a situation.”

Julia Ashley, Managing Director of C&C, said: “As someone who used to work on the front line for Avon Ambulance Service for two years, I know first-hand how rare it is for someone to recover from cardiac arrest. Andy’s CPR must have been outstanding. He will always know that he saved someone’s life and he should be extremely proud of himself.”