STRETFORD and Urmston MP Kate Green has welcomed a new defibrillator installed by the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) in Urmston town centre.

Defibrillators help to save lives and can be used by members of the public to help a heart attack victim.

The machines deliver an electric shock through the chest which attempts to restore a normal heart rhythm.

They are easy to use and will talk the user through what to do, step by step until the ambulance arrives.

The new defibrillator has been installed in Eden Square shopping area in Urmston. This is part of an NWAS initiative to place defibrillators in public places including schools, sports facilities, shopping centres, transport links and other areas where there is a high volume of visitors.

Ms Green said, “I’m really pleased that there will be a new defibrillator in Eden Square.

“Meeting with NWAS showed me just how important it is for people to know where defibrillators are and how crucial their use can be in saving someone’s life.

“I look forward to working with NWAS in the future to look at how we can raise awareness of and increase access to defibrillators across our community.”

David McNally, community resuscitation manager for NWAS, said: “A patient’s chance of survival decreases 10 per cent every minute that passes without defibrillation and so applying a defibrillator within the first four minutes of collapse means the patient has the best possible chance of surviving.

“It is essential that people know where defibrillators are placed as this could, quite literally, be the difference between life and death.

“The placement of these defibrillators is already saving lives across the north west.”