Care Assistant Sophie is a real lifesaver
A Caremark Mansfield & Ashfield Care Assistant who successfully brought a customer back to life by performing CPR has been praised for her actions.
John Fleet’s family say Christmas has come early for them thanks to the quick-thinking of 22-year-old Sophie Mellor.
Sophie, who works for homecare company Caremark Mansfield & Ashfield, thought she was making one of her regular home calls to see John. However, she discovered John unconscious in bed.
Sophie takes up the story: “It’s not unusual for John to be in bed when I come in and initially, I thought he was just sleeping.
“I tried to rouse him and there was no response. After checking his pulse and realising he wasn’t breathing, I knew something was wrong. Without thinking about it my training immediately kicked in.
“I dialled 999. As the ambulance was on the way they talked me through CPR. I did this for 20 minutes until he came back to life.
“It felt like a lifetime, but I tried not to panic. It was only when the ambulance crew arrived that I realised what had happened. I broke down in tears as the adrenaline wore off.”
“It’s made me realise why I do this job”
What makes Sophie’s actions even more remarkable is that she only became a carer for the first time in 2024. She had only recently returned to Caremark after taking a break for her own health reasons.
“Now I have had time to process everything, I am very proud of what I did. I am delighted that I was able to help John,” adds Sophie, who lives in Ollerton, near Mansfield.
“Whilst I would be happy if something like that never happened to me again, it has made me realise why I do this job. It’s safe to say that this is definitely now the career for me!”
Special recognition at our end of year awards
John’s daughter, Joanna Brown, said her dad is now recovering in hospital and has no recollection of anything that happened.
“It’s not possible to put into words how grateful we are that Sophie was able to remain calm and complete a lifesaving task that she’s never done before, apart from in training. She did this under the most intense pressure,” she said.
“She showed incredible bravery and strength of character to act immediately. This is why we still have our dad, grandad and great-grandad in our lives.”
Sophie recently received a special award at the Caremark Mansfield & Ashfield Carer of the Year awards.
Care Manager Chloe Holmes said: “We are all so incredibly proud of Sophie and her heroic efforts. It’s almost impossible to imagine the thoughts that were going through her mind. However, she put her customer at the forefront. Because of her actions, she is the reason John gets to spend Christmas with his family.”
About Caremark Mansfield & Ashfield
If you enjoyed reading Sophie’s story and would like to make a difference (potentially a lifesaving one), please look at the care jobs in Mansfield and Ashfield.