A Bournemouth carer has been recognised after performing CPR for 25 minutes on a woman who suffered a cardiac arrest on Columbia Road. Care South at Home worker Stacey Burch continued CPR until paramedics arrived, helping to save Carole Knight's life. Stacey has since received a HEART Excellence Award at Care South's annual Stars Awards, where she was reunited with Carole in an emotional presentation.
5th October 2026
A Bournemouth carer has been recognised for her remarkable actions after performing CPR for 25 minutes on a woman who had gone into cardiac arrest.
Stacey Burch, who works at Care South at Home's Bournemouth office, was presented with a HEART Excellence Award after stepping in to help Carole Knight during a medical emergency on Columbia Road earlier this year.
Stacey's actions helped save Carole's life, with the pair later reunited in an emotional moment at Care South's annual Stars Awards.
Stacey was working in the Bournemouth community when a shopkeeper on Columbia Road alerted her to Carole, who had collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Putting her professional training into action immediately, Stacey began CPR and continued for around 25 minutes until paramedics arrived and were able to take over.
It was only afterwards that Stacey discovered just how important her intervention had been.
Reflecting on the incident, she said she was grateful to have received the right training through her work and that the experience reinforced why the skills carers learn can make such a difference when somebody urgently needs help.
Stacey's actions were recognised at Care South's 17th annual Stars Awards, where she received a HEART Excellence Award.
She was given a standing ovation by colleagues as she collected the award from Chris Kean, Chair of Care South, and Martin Ross, Director of Care South at Home.
The awards celebrate the work of people across the not-for-profit care charity, but Stacey's presentation became particularly memorable thanks to a surprise reunion.
After meeting again following the medical emergency, Stacey and Carole were brought together once more at the awards ceremony.
The pair sat together during the event before Carole was invited onto the stage to help present Stacey with her award.
Carole credited Stacey's quick actions with saving her life and said she was delighted to see her recognised for what she had done.
She explained that she had no awareness of what was happening after collapsing but later learned that Stacey had continued performing CPR for 25 minutes.
Following a long recovery, Carole said she remained incredibly grateful to Stacey for stepping in.
The incident highlights just how valuable CPR and first-aid training can be when a cardiac arrest happens unexpectedly.
For Stacey, skills learned through her role at Care South meant she was able to respond immediately rather than waiting for emergency services to arrive.
It is also a particularly fitting recognition for someone working within Bournemouth's care community, where staff regularly support people at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
For Carole, Stacey happened to be in the right place at exactly the right time - and her decision to act made an extraordinary difference.
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