Postman’s heart stopped three times, colleagues saved him

A postman ‘died three times’ after suffering a cardiac arrest – but lived to tell the tale. Royal Mail’s Carl Lockwood was found passed out at work by a colleague. His workmate managed to ‘keep him going’ until the emergency services arrived. In total, his heart stopped three times – but he was resuscitated each time and is now working again. Carl – from Leeds – says the cardiac arrest, which happened in 2019, was unexpected as he was on his feet all day, exercising

regularly and doing plenty of ultra running and hill walking. He had already been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation – a common heart rhythm disorder where the heart’s upper chambers beat out of sync with the lower chambers – but this was managed with medication and a stent. “I’ve always been your typical postie – on my feet all day, loving exercise and getting out and about – ultra running, hill walking, the lot. That was why my cardiac arrest was so unexpected. I’ve done as

much as I can to embrace my new version of life, as I know it could have been much worse.” Carl is telling his story after the launch of a new nationwide heart health check programme aiming to test up to 100,000 workers for risk indicators of cardiovascular disease. Follow-up information and support provided by Pharmacy2U , the UK’s largest online pharmacy. The first-of-its-kind initiative by an online pharmacy aims to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease in the workplace. It aims to reach the 62%

of English adults who were not reached through the NHS Health Check programme last year, where cholesterol issues are usually spotted. Royal Mail is one of the first to join the new Healthy Heart Programme, as part of a shared mission to put employees in control of their heart health. It will offer the self-test digital cholesterol check kits, which can be done in ten minutes at home, at your desk, or on the move, to all its employees across the country. Carl, who now

drives vans to deliver parcels rather than walking, continued: “What Pharmacy2U is doing is brilliant. It’s so important that people get the chance to check in on their heart health, as it really can happen to anyone. I’m glad my colleagues will get an opportunity to learn about their heart health, and I’m looking forward to hearing positive stories from workplaces across the country.” Fiona McAslan, head of wellbeing at Royal Mail, said: “Our people are the heart of our business, and we’re grateful for

the opportunity to remove barriers that might be stopping people from prioritising their health. Workplace wellbeing is becoming increasingly important to our industry, and we know that our employees are always looking for ways to check in on their health.” Kevin Heath, CEO of Pharmacy2U, said: “When life gets busy, health checks are often the first thing to fall to the bottom of the to-do list. Bringing cardiovascular testing into the workplace makes it easier for people to access checks without taking extra time out

of their day. “We’ve worked with Royal Mail for over 25 years, so this gives us a chance to give back to one of our longest-standing partners, and the employees who deliver millions of prescriptions for us every year. We are proud to be rolling this out nationwide, to promote early detection and do our part in helping to improve the heart health of thousands of people across the UK.” “The Government’s 10-Year Plan wants the NHS to focus on prevention, delivered digitally by the

primary care sector, and that’s exactly what initiatives like this aim to do.”

Carl Lockwood, Leeds postman, Royal Mail, cardiac arrest, atrial fibrillation, workplace wellbeing, cholesterol check, Pharmacy2U, Healthy Heart Programme, NHS Health Check, cardiovascular disease, resuscitated