Strong partnership working with Kent Police and the Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit has secured five CPR training manikins to help expand lifesaving training opportunities across the Trust.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Strategic Partnerships Manager, Daryl Devlia and Kent Police’s Chief Inspector, Elizabeth Jones, colleagues from the Trust’s Strategic Partnerships and Resilience Teams visited Kent Police Headquarters in Maidstone on Tuesday, 2 June to receive a generous donation of five CPR training manikins from the Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). The donation was presented by Chief Inspector, Elizabeth Jones and Police Sergeant, Glen Rickersey.

These manikins will ensure the equipment continues to make a difference by supporting lifesaving training across our communities, thanks to our Community Resuscitation Officers and Community First Responders.

In return for the donation, the Trust’s Resilience team will provide CPR and basic life support training to colleagues in the Serious Violence Duty partnership, strengthening shared skills and reinforcing the value of partnership working across the wider system.

The manikins, each worth up to £1,000, were formally presented by Kent Police Chief Inspector, Elizabeth Jones, who is also Director of the Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit. This donation will enable colleagues to expand the current community training offer, helping more people to learn vital lifesaving skills and increasing opportunities for education and engagement across the region. Specifically, the team will be able to deliver more CPR and basic life support training at community events, schools, workplaces and public engagement sessions, as well as supporting the development of new starters and volunteers.

The manikins had previously been used as part of the VRU’s work to prevent violence and support young people across Kent and Medway. As the equipment became surplus to requirements, the VRU chose to redistribute it amongst key partners, with additional manikins being donated to St John Ambulance and Kent Police Cadets.

Daryl said: “As Strategic Partnerships Manager, I am always horizon scanning for potential opportunities that benefit the Trust and our external stakeholders. Brokering this deal between the Trust and the Kent & Medway VRU is a perfect example.

“Locally our teams will benefit from a donation of hundreds of pounds worth of CPR manikins, enabling them to train more people. In return, the VRU and their partners (Kent Police, councils, community groups etc) will benefit from SECAmb’s expertise in teaching CPR.

“I’m delighted to be able to get some useful equipment to our CFRs and Community Resus Leads which can be put to very good use by them. Thanks to Chief Inspector, Lizzie Jones for the donation.”

For the Trust, the donation highlights the value of strong partnership working and demonstrates how collaboration across organisations can create lasting benefits for the communities we serve, which is one of the strategic aims highlighted in the 2024–2029 Trust strategy.

By working closely with organisations such as Kent Police and the Violence Reduction Unit, the Trust can extend its reach beyond traditional healthcare settings, sharing expertise, resources and opportunities that ultimately improve outcomes for patients and local communities. In addition, this equipment also helps contribute towards our ambition to increase cardiac arrest survival rates by 5 per cent. By helping to equip more people with the confidence and skills to deliver effective CPR before emergency services arrive, we’re contributing toward that goal.

Chief Inspector, Lizzie Jones said “This is a great example of partnership working in action. By working together with SECAmb and our wider partners, we are ensuring resources continue to deliver value for communities. These manikins originally supported our violence reduction work and it is incredibly positive to see them now being used to help teach lifesaving skills across Kent, Medway and beyond. Every additional person trained in CPR has the potential to save a life and that is the shared aim of all of our organisations.”

Established in 2019 and funded by the Home Office, the Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit brings together policing, local authorities, health organisations and other partners to tackle the root causes of violence.

Taking a public health approach, the unit works to prevent violence before it happens, focusing particularly on supporting young people and creating safer communities.