Four user-friendly emergency bleed control kits have been installed to prevent or put a temporary stop to a bleed, which could potentially be fatal, while emergency services work their way to the person in need.
They were set up yesterday to be used in the case of a catastrophic incident, this could include: road traffic accidents, violent or aggressive attacks or someone who has sustained injuries from a fall.
The kits are being funded Sheffield BID (Business Improvement District) alongside South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit, Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
Darren Hendleman-Horne, Operations Manager for Sheffield BID, said: “We saw this as an opportunity to enhance the life saving measures that could be needed in the city centre.
“The cabinets are placed at high footfall locations around the city centre where the propensity for someone receiving a bleed injury is higher.”
The four emergency bleed control kits can be found on: Rockingham Street next to West Street Live, Barker’s Pool by the City Hall, outside Boots on the High Street, and Moorfoot near the former public toilets. Two more are set to be installed within the next 24 hours.
They are available every day with 24-hour access. Emergency services provide a code which is used to unlock the box when needed.
Each box contains a ‘bleed kit’ with user instructions on how to administer the treatment. 999 operators can talk users through the process while they wait for help.
The further eight cabinets are in the process of being set up across the city. Not all locations have been confirmed but Fargate, Arundel Gate Mini Interchange, and Broad Street West are on the list.
The cabinets were designed and built by The Daniel Baird Foundation and Turtle Engineering, ensuring no specialist training is needed to use the emergency bleed control kits.
Mike Dowson, director of Turtle Engineering, said: “The Daniel Baird Foundation kits were created by Lynne Baird, mother of Daniel, after he was fatally stabbed to death outside a pub in Birmingham in 2017.
“One of Lynne’s other sons is a doctor and said how he could have been saved with the right medical equipment, so Lynne set about defining a bleed control kit.”
There are currently over 8000 bleed control kits across the UK with over 1000 of those being housed in dedicated bleed control cabinets, ensuring they are available 24-7.