Hull hospital porter thanks security guard for saving his life

Shaun Marshall, 49, began to feel unwell during his morning shift at Hull Royal’s emergency department.

By the time he was sent to A&E, he had to sit down and rest for a few minutes. But not feeling better, he headed towards the front of the tower block to get some fresh air but collapsed as he reached the lift lobby.

Security officer Josh Woolhouse saw Shaun collapsing and was the first to reach him, followed by two nurses

A defibrillator was used to restart his heart before he was rushed round to A&E on a trolley where emergency staff were able to save his life.

Now back on the road to recovery and about to return to work, Shaun said: “If it wasn’t for Josh, I wouldn’t be here.

“We’d had a few people off and I’d offered to change my shift so I shouldn’t really have been here.

“The doctors told me if this had happened to me at home, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Shaun, who joined the trust as a porter in April, added: “I’d never met Josh before but I owe him everything. He was first to reach me and he started chest compressions.

"I know two nurses came to help but if it hadn’t been for Josh reacting so quickly, I wouldn’t have made it.

“I didn’t know a thing about it until I came round a while later in resus but I’m just so grateful to everyone who helped me, especially Josh.”

Josh, 23, joined security firm OCS three years ago was just starting his shift when he saw Shaun fall to the floor.

“I realised straight away he wasn’t in a good way,” Josh said. “He wasn’t responsive, wasn’t breathing properly and was really pale so I immediately put out a crash call.”

With a crash team on the way, Josh lay Shaun on his side to clear his airway and ripped open his shirt to begin chest compressions as other members of staff checked but couldn’t find a pulse.

The team raced to the lobby and took over while Josh switched back to his day job and cleared the lobby of onlookers.

He said he switched into automatic when he saw Shaun collapse: "The whole adrenalin thing kicked in but when they put the defibrillator on him and I heard him groaning, I just thought ‘Thank God for that’.”

Shaun has nominated Josh for an internal staff award called Moments of Magic after meeting up with Josh again to thank him.

Josh said: “I’m not an emotional guy but when I saw him for the first time and he welled up, I’d to tell him to stop because that would have set me off.

“I’m not a hero or anything. I was just in the right place, at the right time, doing my job.”

OCS Contract Manager Joe Moore has also recognised Josh’s outstanding efforts in the company’s internal awards scheme ‘MyThanks’.

He said: “I am extremely proud of Josh and the way he has conducted himself. He is a credit not only to OCS but also himself.

"Due to Josh’s actions, Shaun can continue to return home to his family.”