South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) and the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service (IWAS) have partnered with the GoodSAM Responder app, to reduce the response time to life-threatening cardiac arrest calls.
After a call is received in the 999 ambulance control room, verified volunteers registered with the app are alerted to incidents taking place within 500 metres of their location.
GoodSAM which stands for ‘Good Smartphone Activated Medics’, uses mobile GPS technology to notify the nearest available responder of an incident. These responders can then begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the precious minutes before an ambulance arrives.
The early delivery of CPR and defibrillation is critical in improving survival rates from cardiac arrest. Every minute without intervention reduces the chance of survival by up to 10%.
The first phase of the service went live across the Isle of Wight and South Central Ambulance Service’s operating areas from Thursday 19 June 2025, with certified healthcare professionals and clinically trained individuals being able to register.
The aim is to then open it up to trained public volunteers from the Autumn. By improving access to good quality CPR earlier, we will be increasing the chance of survival for people suffering from an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
David Hamer, Operations Manager for SCAS, said, “The launch of GoodSAM is a significant milestone in our mission to improve survival from cardiac arrest. By enabling trained responders to reach patients faster, we can dramatically increase the chances of a positive outcome. This is about saving lives, and we are proud to be part of this initiative.”
Louise Walker, Head of Education and Community Response for Isle of Wight NHS Ambulance Service, added: “We are very excited to be part of this life-saving programme. Every second counts when a person is having a cardiac arrest, so the ability to activate volunteer trained responders in our local community will help save many more lives across the Island. We are so grateful to all GoodSAM responders for helping us to build a stronger, more responsive community network.”
This project has been partly funded by South Central Ambulance Charity who support SCAS in enhancing emergency care. By combining cutting-edge technology, charitable support, and frontline expertise, this partnership is transforming how quickly help arrives when every second counts.
Healthcare professionals and certified responders can register with GoodSAM at goodsamapp.org. The registration process includes verification of credentials and training to ensure all responders meet the required standards.
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