A call handler for the ambulance service is up for a national award after helping to save a young man's life.

Sarah Fisher works for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and took a call in January 2018.

She convinced a dog walker to do CPR on a lifeless body he had found on the beach in the Severn Estuary.

The patient survived and made a full recovery.

Sarah, who works at the SWASFT Control Hub near Bristol and lives in the city, said the incident showed that people should “never give up” trying to help someone.

She said: “The call has always played on my mind.

“I didn’t know why the patient was there, how long he’d been there, or what had happened.

“The caller was convinced the young man was dead and beyond any help. But I really wanted to get him to do something for the patient. It was an amazing outcome.

“Being an EMD can be very challenging. We can only deal with the information we are given, and we don’t tend to know the outcome of calls. Sometimes we get shouted at and abused by callers. This one call restored my faith in what we do.

“I’m delighted to have been chosen as a finalist for a national award. It’s such an encouragement for all of us in the Control Room, and an inspiration to anyone never to give up trying to help someone. We really can save lives.”

Sarah called Richard Gaman and assisted him whilst he performed CPR on the body for an extended period.

Sarah has since been named as a finalist for the Control Room Call Taker of the Year at the APD Control Room Awards 2019.