NHS Hero nominee – Caroline Belpomer

NHS Hero nominee – Caroline Belpomer
When Caroline Belpomer stumbled across a road accident on her way home from a Sunday lunch she ran to the scene, carried out CPR for 10 minutes and used a defibrillator on an unconscious man.
Caroline has worked at the University Hospitals of North Midlands for 24 years as a housekeeper, healthcare assistant, ward clerk and now discharge facilitator – so trying to save lives is not an everyday occurrence for her.
She was presented with a CEO Award by then UHNM Chief Executive Tracy Bullock and has now been nominated as an NHS Hero in the Your Heroes Awards.
Caroline had been travelling through Madeley after a Mother’s Day lunch when she and her husband came across the two-car collision.
She ran to the scene and started performing CPR on an unconscious gentleman until paramedics arrived.
Caroline said: “As another member of the public was already helping those in one of the cars involved, I went to the other car and found a gentleman unconscious on the back seat so started chest compressions.
“By this time other people had arrived on scene and had called the emergency services. Over the phone they instructed us to get the gentleman out of the car and lay him on the road, where I carried on with CPR for around 10 minutes.
“Another member of the public was able to get a defibrillator from a nearby pub, and using this we shocked the gentleman shortly before paramedics arrived.”
Caroline was nominated by Lisa Duncan, Integrated Discharge Lead at UHNM.
Lisa said: “Caroline has always gone above and beyond – there’s just something about her. I felt to do something in the community like this shows she strives for other people, and for the patients in her care. She is a proper people person and she deserves this award.”
Caroline added: “On the afternoon of the accident I just cracked on. I got out of the car and automatically just ran towards the scene. It was only on the drive back home did I start to think what had just happened. It’s just what anybody would do.
“It’s lovely to be nominated for this award by my colleagues, but I don’t like being the centre of attention, I couldn’t believe it. There was a lot of other people at the scene who came together who also deserve recognition.
“I just love my patients and would do everything I can for them and hope they get home safely and are happy.”