As a joint initiative between Saltford Parish Council, Saltford Community Association (SCA) and Curo, Saltford will soon have a publicly accessible Bleed Kit at Saltford Hall. SPC thanks Curo for awarding funding to the Parish Council, and to SCA’s Saltford Hall for hosting the bleed kit next to its defibrillator.
Bleed Kits are designed to be used by bystanders to save lives in instances of catastrophic blood loss. Though often associated as being positioned in areas at high risk of knife crime, Bleed Kits contain crucial equipment for incidents such as a road accident or household accidents (e.g. cuts from kitchen knives or power tools, where immediate action is required to stop bleeding).
By giving people the tools to stop the bleeding until paramedics arrive, the immediate availability of Bleed Kits in the public domain can help save lives. Bleed Kits contain equipment including trauma dressings and instructions on how to use them, so they can be used by members of the public without training.
The above image shows a Bleed Kit ‘limpet’ model, attached to a defibrillator. Bleed Kits also come in ‘standalone’ models, mounted in any location that has a wall. Image above has been taken from the Community Bleed Kit Partnership brochure, as shared by A&S Police’s Bleed Kit Partnership representative.
Saltford’s new Bleed Kit will be placed on SCA’s Saltford Hall so it’s easily accessible to all, including to the many residents that live in Curo homes nearby.
Location details are as follows:
Saltford Hall, Wedmore Rd, BS31 3BY.
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A location map and information about Saltford Hall is also on SCA’s website.
Image shows the front of Saltford Hall. The new Bleed Kit will be mounted next to the defibrillator, which can be seen as a green box near the main doors to the building .
SPC thanks A&S Police for their Bleed Kit Partnership Team’s advice prior to SPC seeking Curo funding. The team shared their Community Bleed Kit Team brochure with SPC, which may be of interest to local organisations or local businesses who may be considering installing their own Bleed Kits. SPC has also been informed by the team that they will be installing a Bleed Kit by the defibrillator at Davis & Way (near the A4 and its junction with Beech Road) in October. Great news!
A map of the locations of Bleed Kits across the country can be found on the HeartSafe website. Saltford’s Bleed Kits will be added to the Heartsafe Map once installed.
The Bleed Kit map shows that there are no Bleed Kits registered in Saltford currently. Image taken from the Heartsafe website, dated October 2024
The map currently shows Saltford as having no Bleed Kits in the village. This is something SPC is looking to change. Further to the installation of Saltford’s first Bleed Kits, SPC is aiming to get more located in the village, likely to be positioned next to some of the 24/7 publicly accessible defibrillators in Saltford – watch this space!
As shown in the image below, each Bleed Kit contains a range of equipment. Given that members of the public are unlikely to be familiar with the contents nor have had training, Bleed Kits come all prepared for use by anyone. Kits include colour coded steps to assist in clear instruction for use, so people can use them with confidence in critical situations.
SPC welcomes an offer from a resident who is also a Consultant Cardiologist, who has said that they would be pleased to arrange training on the use of Bleed Kits should this be of interest to residents once Saltford’s Bleed Kits are in place.
Image above taken from the Community Bleed Kit Team’s brochure (p.4) as linked here.
For more information about defibrillators in Saltford, visit SPC’s page at under ‘Our Village’ titled ‘Defibrillators‘. Please note that none of the defibrillators in Saltford are owned or the responsibility of Saltford Parish Council, though one belonging to The Bird pub is hosted on SPC’s ex-BT red phone box. The Parish Council is in the process of arranging the installation of a defibrillator on the Norman Road ex-BT phone box too, again funded by The Bird – another ‘watch this space’ initiative by SPC!