AN emergency at a Halesowen pub prompted a call from ambulance chiefs for people to learn a potentially lifesaving skill.

Leading 999 medics say members of the public at the scene with the ability to carry out CPR could mean the difference between life and death for heart failure victims.

The case of a pensioner who collapsed at the Why Not Inn, Why Not Street, at around 1.15pm on May 17 has been used to show how immediate treatment can make a big difference.

The woman, in her 80s, was taken ill and, while paramedics were on their way, CPR was administered by an off-duty midwife who happened to be in the pub at the time.

An ambulance and a community paramedic attended. Having been resuscitated, the woman was taken to Russells Hall Hospital.

The drama in Halesowen followed a similar incident on the same day when a woman runner in Staffordshire collapsed and was resuscitated by two nurses who were running with her.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Although we don’t know of their current conditions at hospitals, we know their resuscitations at the scene were thanks to the immediate help of people who were nearby when these cardiac arrests happened. Their actions prior to the arrival of ambulances greatly increased the victims’ chances of survival.

“This is why we would encourage everyone to learn how to perform CPR.”