It started as an ordinary Thursday in November for 17-year old Ella, as she was walking to her job as a carer at Sir Aubrey Ward House in Marlow. The day became anything but ordinary though, as she turned a corner onto Liston Road, and witnessed a gentleman fall and hit his head on the concrete.

“My training immediately kicked in,” said Ella. “I didn’t really think about it - I’d been on a Life Saving course at work that week, and everything I’d learnt rushed into my head. The man appeared to be having a seizure, so I made him safe, loosened his clothing to help his breathing and called an ambulance.  As I monitored him, he began to struggle with his breathing, and I began CPR.  I continued to administer CPR for 20 minutes until the emergency services arrived.”

When the emergency services arrived, they congratulated Ella and took charge of the patient.  At this point, when most would have gone home to relax after an ordeal, Ella made her way into work.

“I called my manager on the way in to apologise that I was going to be late!” Ella said.

Julie Canale is the Home Manager at Sir Aubrey Ward.  She said: “The team here couldn’t be prouder of Ella - what an amazing response she had to a situation that would have frightened a lot of people twice her age! She certainly didn’t need to apologise for being late!”

NHS data indicates that survival rates double when CPR is administered as first aid.  Julie concludes: “For me, it just goes to show how important the training our carers go through is.  We’re not just teaching them to do their job - we’re giving them life skills as this has proved.  I’ve had a number of staff come to me and tell me they’d like extra training off the back of this too.”

 Ella, pictured with a happy resident at Sir Aubrey Ward, and home manager Julie Canale.