Shropshire Star

Telford care worker saves woman's life after she stops breathing

A care trainer who works for a home care provider in Shropshire rushed to give a woman life-saving treatment when she stopped breathing and collapsed during an awards show.

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Mark Rigby, 44, had been nominated in the Great West Midlands Care Awards and was attending the ceremony at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham when he heard a cry asking for help from anyone who knew first aid.

Mr Rigby, who is from Gwespyr, on the north coast of Wales, is employed by Direct Health in Telford.

He said he ran in the direction of the shout to find a woman in her 50s who had collapsed on the floor.

Mr Rigby explained that he had acted on instinct.

He said: "It all happened so quickly. You just don't think about it, not until afterwards when you think 'Oh my God'.

"She had stopped breathing and her friends were all standing around. I grabbed her with another girl, got her on the floor and I just started CPR.

"After a couple of CPR compressions she started to breathe.

"We put her in the recovery position then left her with her friends until the ambulance arrived."

Mr Rigby said that he had been proud that he had been able to help the woman.

He said: "I didn't manage to get her name or anything like that – I just hope she is okay.

"She was in her 50s, with blondish, grey hair. She wasn't very tall."

Mr Rigby added: "Her friends came over and thanked me. They never stopped thanking me all night, actually.

"It was a chance to help someone. I just hope someone would help me or my family if the circumstances were different."

The awards ceremony Mr Rigby was attending are part of the Great British Care Awards, a series of nine regional awards celebrating excellence across the care sector.

Although he did not win his award, other members of the Direct Health team came away with accolades.

Laura Brown won the Care Planner and Assessor Award, with judges saying she "passionately demonstrated" what it took to deliver a quality care service.

The group's learning disability team was also named the best in the West Midlands, with judges adding: "The collaboration and bond between the team came across very strongly through their work in their highly demanding roles."

Winners of the Great West Midlands Care Awards will go through to the final at Birmingham's International Convention Centre which takes place on March 31.

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