Defibrillator Project

At the Seafarers Hospital Society, we believe that everyone should be able to receive the right healthcare, at the right time, and in the right place.

Figures from the WHO show that heart disease is one of the biggest killers globally, and in the UK, 460 people die every day from heart or circulatory problems. Fishermen feature prominently among those numbers, with heart disease and cardiovascular illness remaining one of the largest killers at sea.

The occurrence of heart attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other similar health-related incidents due to high blood pressure, has increased within the fishing community, as the increasing age of seafarers means common health complications are being taken to sea. That is why we are on a mission to improve the heart health of seafarers across the UK through our ongoing ‘Your Heart Matters’ project.

The project aims to prevent heart-related fatalities in fishermen, having identified a growing prevalence of heart disease in coastal communities. The project builds on the success of a pilot project conducted by SHS and the NHS in 2021 and consists of two main elements:

1. Placing 200 Defibrillators and 250 first aid kits on fishing boats.
2. Quayside health and dental service provision

Placing 200 Defibrillators and 250 first aid kits on fishing boats.

Seafarers often face an extensive wait before emergency treatment arrives, especially when out at sea. Crews onboard fishing vessels will attempt to save their colleague’s lives by performing CPR, but sadly not all efforts are successful. Many deaths at sea remain preventable, and it is our goal to minimise loss of life by providing life-saving equipment to vessels.

Treatment with a life-saving shock from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a key factor in increasing a person’s chance of survival. Compact, portable, and requiring little maintenance, they are perfect pieces of first aid equipment on board fishing vessels. Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS) will place two hundred AED’s  and a further 250 first aid kits onboard fishing vessels across the UK.

Training and education are vital aspects of this project. Defibrillator training provides users with the skills and knowledge to operate a defibrillator effectively. Professionals will guide crew through what steps to take in the event a crew member on their vessel or in their vicinity has a cardiac arrest.

This includes how to identify a cardiac arrest, how to use a defibrillator and how to administer additional first aid techniques. Training includes both theoretical and practical aspects and is provided in groups. The more people we can train to be confident with emergency procedures and basic first aid training, in addition to the provision of lifesaving equipment for their use, the better chance we have of saving more lives, both at sea and onshore.

Quayside health and dental service provision

The second part of this project focuses on preventative measures, and the need to address the healthcare gap that exists in many coastal communities. The UK Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2021: Health in Coastal Communities (Ref:1) acknowledged that coastal communities have long been overlooked. Therefore, our focus on preventative services works toward improving healthier lifestyles in many coastal towns as we battle against a traditional ‘man-up’ culture of not asking for help.

Over 50% of UK fishing ports show characteristics of health deprivation, with limited access to health services.  The most common diseases being heart, blood pressure and circulation problems (54%), musculoskeletal conditions (41%) and poor hearing or deafness (28%). Furthermore, given their long hours, and the physically strenuous, unpredictable and anti-social nature of their work, UK fatality rates for fishermen are 100 times higher than the general workforce and injuries are common.

Given these unique pressures, fishermen face barriers to receiving timely medical attention. Pre-booking appointments when they are unable to plan for time off causes problems, and current health systems cannot offer enough flexibility. Many fishermen, despite ill health, work through pain or injury exacerbating their condition, increasing the risk of poor, long-term health outcomes in later life. Fishermen are also less likely to take time off to attend routine screening appointments.

That is why we continue to support SeaFit, an initiative dedicated to the health and well-being of fishermen, offering a comprehensive range of health services tailored to their unique needs. SeaFit is run by the Seafarers Hospital Society in conjunction with The Fishermen’s Mission, developing collaborative partnerships with the NHS and statutory and voluntary health organisations bringing healthcare, screening, treatment, and advice to quaysides where fishermen work, providing easier access to healthcare services.

SeaFit aims to take services to the quayside to highlight health risk factors and increase access to targeted support focusing on exercise, diet, weight loss, smoking cessation, drug and alcohol addiction, physiotherapy, psychological therapies, prostate checks, and bowel cancer screening. Additional dental treatment services are provided at selected events through our partnership with DentAid, a dental charity.

Overall project Aims:

• Gaining insight and raising awareness of health issues faced by fishermen.
• Improve the health and well-being of fishermen and their families.

Objectives: 

1. Gaining insight and raising awareness of health issues faced by fishermen.

• Connect with active and retired fishermen to identify gaps and understand barriers to accessing health service provision.
• Gain insight to/from Statutory Health Providers, NHS, GPs, Port Authorities, Harbour Masters, Boat Owners and Staff.
• Raise awareness of what health and wellbeing support is needed.

1. Improve the health and well-being of fishermen and their families.
2. Providing UK fishermen and their families with free, confidential health treatment and advice.
3. Instigate change in traditional behaviours of fishermen who were not accessing health services and ignoring mental and physical health concerns.
4. Improve wellbeing by increasing social inclusion opportunities in fishing communities.

Seafit Health Events

Through the SeaFit Programme, SHS became aware of fishermen suffering cardiac arrests whilst at sea. Knowing they often have an extensive wait before emergency treatment arrives, crew onboard the fishing vessels will attempt to save their colleagues lives’ by performing CPR. Sadly, this can often be unsuccessful and raised the question about the need for lifesaving defibrillator devices on fishing boats.

The decision to install Defibrillators comes as a result of growing evidence around the rising prevalence of heart disease in coastal communities, as well as information gathered by SHS through its SeaFit Programme, which takes health services directly, to fishermen, at the quayside. The rising median age of seafarers working in the UK has shown a concurrent rise in heart attacks and other similar health-related incidents caused by issues such as high blood pressure.

We believe that this project will make a significant difference to the lives of commercial fishermen who earn their living from the waters around the UK and that many lives will be saved.

This project received funding from the UKSF and has 2 main elements, 1.Quayside health and dental service provision and 2. Providing 200 defibrillators and 250 first aid kits on fishing boats around the UK. The project will help an anticipated 3,000 fishermen.

Training and education are vital aspects of this project and provides users with the skills and knowledge to operate a defibrillator effectively and perform CPR while out at sea. Survival rate estimated at around 5% with CPR only, with Defib and CPR around 70% chance of survival.

SHS has specifically chosen AEDs which can be used safely and effectively, devices are compact and provide audio-visual instructions, making them universally comprehensible and easy to operate safely even in times of panic or emergency. SHS has also ensured that either face-to-face, or virtual training has accompanied each AED so that personnel can respond swiftly in the event of a cardiac incident –  because every second counts.