In December 2022, Lloyd Filer attended his work Christmas party at Saluti Restaurant at Pacific Epping, where he suffered a heart attack.
Seated nearby was a table of Northern Health nurses, who attended to him, performed CPR and brought him to Northern Hospital for further care.
One of the nurses who provided medical attendance to Lloyd at the restaurant was Tara Softley, an endoscopy liaison nurse.
“Having to commence CPR out in the community was very daunting, and having a full restaurant watch on was very scary. Not only for us, but also for his work colleagues who were with him at the time. We were very grateful that a defibrillator machine was nearby, and we were able to utilise it until the paramedics arrived,” she said.
For Tara, the whole experience was immensely rewarding.
“Reflecting on the event, I am grateful for the career path that I chose. To be able to assist someone in the community and have such a positive outcome was a very rewarding experience. To be able to speak with the patient on the phone weeks later was very surreal,” she said.
After spending a short time in the ICU, Lloyd completed two weeks of rehabilitation. He has made a full recovery and is now back home with his family.
“I had no idea of the critical state of my heart health and have taken the opportunity to remind my friends and family of the importance of a heart health check,” Lloyd said.
“As a former surf lifesaver, I’m also reminded of the importance of CPR training as a life skill. I will be eternally grateful to these nurses, as well as the other emergency workers who arrived and provided their assistance.”
Fellow endoscopy liaison nurse Janelle Davies also helped revive Lloyd. She said that personal medical information saved on his smartphone was critical, and something they were able to quickly access.
“Having medical information such as list of medications, medical history and allergies stored on your smartphone is invaluable to first responders,” Janelle said.
