Off-duty nurse Maureen Youngson saved a friend’s life using a defibrillator machine just days after a colleague had given her basic life support training.

Maureen, a community psychiatric nurse with the Community Mental Health Team for Older People, in Airdrie, was enjoying a motorbike rally near Stirling when the emergency happened.

Maureen said: “My friend, Alex Wilson, had collapsed.

“He had turned blue and had no pulse so I started to help along with Andy Bethell, a motor neurone disease nurse who’d travelled from Aberdeenshire.”

As they did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on the stricken 67-year-old, a local dashed to the scene with a defibrillator machine.

Maureen continued: “I attached the defibrillator pads to Alex’s chest and the machine announced a shock was required – so I pushed the button.

“After that we continued CPR and then used it to shock him again. After more CPR he started to respond and the ambulance crew arrived to take over.

“I get a regular refresher course on life support skills so the practical training and my learnPro online training was fresh in my mind at just the right time.”

Resuscitation and clinical skills facilitator William Lannigan gave Maureen her training just two weeks before the emergency.

William, based at Monklands Hospital, said: “I’ve been doing this job for 13 years but this is the first time I’ve heard of one of our staff using it off duty.

“What Maureen did was fantastic. It’s also very satisfying for me to know I played a part by training her.”

Alex has now had a pacemaker fitted.

His wife, Elaine, said: “We have been left in no doubt by the cardiology doctors that Alex would not have survived were it not for the combined actions of Maureen and Andy, and the defib.”