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Housing officer praised for saving resident’s life
A housing officer at London-based care specialist Central & Cecil (C&C) has been credited with saving a resident’s life.
A housing officer at London-based care specialist Central & Cecil (C&C) has been credited with saving a resident’s life #UKhousing Andy Duke responded quickly after finding a resident “unconscious and unresponsive” at retirement home Vivian Court in Maida Vale, London on 31 January.
The resident had lost her balance and fallen down steps onto her head, which triggered a cardiac arrest.
Mr Duke, who had received CPR training with C&C, began performing it immediately. He said that when he began, the resident’s face had “turned purple and was slightly cold to touch”.
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A contractor working on a nearby flat heard him calling for help and put the emergency services on speakerphone so he could hear their instructions.
“Her breathing was shallow and intermittent between compressions, and she wasn’t breathing at all for some scarily extended periods,” he said.
By the time paramedics arrived at the scene, Mr Duke 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 brought to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where she spent a few weeks in the major trauma ward before being sent home.
Mr Duke said: “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 at C&C, said: “[Mr Duke] will always know that he saved someone’s life and he should be extremely proud of himself.”
C&C recently merged with large Southern housing association Aster Group.
Wiltshire-based Aster owns and manages more than 32,000 homes across the South of England, mainly in the South West, with no previous stock in London.
C&C manages a stock of around 1,850 homes in the capital, focusing on providing housing and care for people over the age of 55.
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