THE first bleed control kit, also known as a Bleed Box, has been installed at Manny's chippy on the Antrim Road in North Belfast.
A Bleed Box is a bleeding control kit to treat catastrophic injuries and sustain the casualty until they receive proper medical attention. The kit includes all the necessary items to create a tourniquet, dress a wound, and give hygienic CPR and a full set of directions for use.
The Bleed Box will be registered with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.
Following her success with installing defibrillators across North Belfast, Fiona McCarthy, who works for the NHS and is a Workers Party representative managed to raise funds to install the bleed box.
"This is the first one to be installed in Belfast. They are quite common across England," she explained. "I am aware of all the health inequalities across North Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland and feel the need to contribute to the health and wellbeing of all those in the North Belfast area.
"I hope to raise funds to have more Bleed Boxes installed. As the Ambulance Service is stretched because of handover delays due to the lack of beds and overflowing Emergency Departments at hospitals, it is vital that bleed boxes and defibrillators are installed in local communities as medical attention can be delayed and immediate aid can sometimes be the difference between life and death."
