#criticalbleedcontrol — Public Fediverse posts

SCHOOL SAFETY: Llanelli councillor calls on Welsh Government to put life-saving bleed kits in every school in Wales

A campaign to place life-saving bleed control kits in every school in Wales has reached the desk of the new Welsh Government Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language.

Labour councillor Shaun Greaney, who represents the Lliedi ward on Llanelli Town Council, has written to Anna Brychan MS asking her to commit to placing critical bleed control kits in every primary and secondary school in the country.

Each kit costs around £95 and contains military-grade equipment designed to help control major blood loss before emergency services arrive. The contents include a tourniquet, chest seal, haemostatic gauze, blunt-edged shears, gloves, a foil blanket, a resuscitation shield and a trauma fix bandage, along with a body map instruction card.

Cllr Greaney has argued that the kits should be treated as a basic safety tool in the same category as defibrillators, which are now widely deployed in schools and community settings across Wales.

“After all, as a society we shouldn’t be asking what price a child’s life,” he said. “I think the kits will be seen as a crucial safety tool in the same way that defibrillators are. Nothing is more precious than a child’s life. I sincerely hope the initiative is taken up before there is a preventable tragedy.”

Campaign with a track record

Cllr Greaney is no stranger to public access emergency equipment. In October last year, he used CPR skills learned on a town council course to revive an unconscious man in Stepney Street, reinforcing his long-running campaign to expand the availability of defibrillators and bleed kits across the town. In December, a new defibrillator was installed at a children’s play area in Bigyn as part of a wider Llanelli Town Council drive he has helped lead.

In February, campaigners called for bleed control kits to be installed in every Carmarthenshire school and outside public buildings across the county, warning that Carmarthenshire was falling behind its neighbours.

Those neighbours include Swansea, where more than 430 critical bleed control kits have now been installed — the highest number anywhere in Wales — in a rollout backed by Swansea Council and the charity Heartbeat Trust UK.

The local network behind the campaign

A network of councillors, businesses and charities has been steadily building bleed kit provision across the area. Former Llanelli paramedic and Labour county councillor Rob Evans, a GoodSam emergency responder, has been instrumental in securing ten kits for primary schools in the town, with funding from local businessman Paul Brookfield.

All registered kits appear on the national Bleed Map, a UK-wide database designed to allow members of the public to locate the nearest emergency bleed control kit as quickly as possible. The scheme in south Wales is led by the charity Heartbeat Trust UK, under its trustee Melanie James, a former High Sheriff of West Glamorgan. Welsh icon Max Boyce backed the rollout last year at the launch of a kit at Glynneath RFC.

Cllr Greaney has previously pushed for kits to be installed alongside defibrillators in existing community centre and park cabinets across Llanelli — a move backed by the town council during its previous Labour administration.

The Links donation

A kit has now been donated to Llanelli mental health charity Links, where it sits inside the defibrillator cabinet on Queen Victoria Road. Links general manager Michele Rees said the equipment was vital.

“Having this equipment readily available is vital, as rapid treatment of severe bleeding can help save lives before emergency services arrive,” she said.

The defibrillator at the Links cabinet was installed a couple of years ago following a fundraising drive by Cllr Greaney and the charity. Mrs Rees said it had been accessed three times since installation.

A test for the new Welsh Government

Cllr Greaney’s letter to Anna Brychan represents one of the earliest specific policy asks placed before the new Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government on a school safety issue. First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has pledged that his administration will prioritise primary care and frontline services.

The Llanelli initiative also has the backing of Llanelli MP Dame Nia Griffith.

Members of the public can find their nearest registered bleed control kit using the UK Bleed Map at thebleedmap.com — a free online tool designed to help bystanders respond rapidly in the event of a serious bleeding emergency.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Campaigners call for bleed control kits in every Carmarthenshire school
Llanelli campaigners warned the county was falling behind its neighbours on bleed kit provision.

Swansea leads Wales with rollout of life-saving bleed control kits
More than 430 kits have now been installed across Swansea — the highest number of any area in Wales.

Councillor saves man with CPR in Llanelli town centre
Cllr Greaney used CPR skills learned on a town council course to revive an unconscious man in Stepney Street.

New defibrillator installed at Llanelli play area as council tackles ‘defib desert’
Part of Llanelli Town Council’s wider community safety drive.

New defibrillator installed at Llanelli play area as council tackles ‘defib desert’

The device, now active at Nightingale Court play area, has been registered on The Circuit, a national database that helps ambulance crews locate the nearest defibrillator in the event of a cardiac emergency.

Town councillor Shaun Greaney, who represents Lliedi ward, said the area had previously been a “defibrillator desert” — with no publicly accessible devices nearby.

“Every minute without treatment reduces the chance of survival by around 10 per cent,” he said. “We’ve seen tragic cases where cardiac arrests or critical bleeds could potentially have been survivable if help had been available immediately.”

The council says the new device is part of a broader push to improve emergency readiness across Llanelli.

“This Labour-led town council is spearheading a lifesaving safety drive,” Cllr Greaney added. “Early defibrillation, combined with CPR, can increase survival rates to 50–70 per cent if delivered within five minutes.”

National figures show survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests remain below 10 per cent — but experts say bystander CPR and rapid access to an AED (automated external defibrillator) can dramatically improve outcomes.

Council leader Cllr David Darkin said the council will begin offering free public training in the coming months, covering both defibrillator use and Critical Bleed Control Kits — specialist equipment designed to stop catastrophic bleeding.

“These kits are army-grade and invaluable in emergencies,” he said. “We’ll be rolling out training in community centres across Llanelli next year.”

Cllr Darkin praised Cllr Greaney for introducing the bleed control initiative to the council, and said it complements the town’s wider Sports, Youth and Activities programme, aimed at improving health and wellbeing outcomes for residents of all ages.

Cllr Gareth Lloyd, who represents Bigyn ward, said the new defibrillator was already being welcomed by local families.

“It’s a vital addition to the play area,” he said. “We’re proud to be making lifesaving equipment more accessible to the community.”

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