Schools and children’s groups urged to sign up to learn life-saving skills
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is urging schools and children’s groups to register their interest to take part in an international CPR awareness drive taking place in October.
The Trust is looking for local schools and groups to take part in the Europe-wide initiative, Restart a Heart. As part of Restart a Heart Day on Tuesday 18 October, SECAmb is working with its own staff and volunteers to provide groups with a trainer and all the equipment required to demonstrate CPR for free during the week of 12-18 October.
SECAmb is also keen to hear from any other potential volunteers from across the NHS including hospital clinicians.
To date some 70 people have volunteered to help deliver the training and 38 groups – equating to more than 3000 children will learn CPR.
More than 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of hospital in the UK every year. If this happens in front of a bystander who starts CPR immediately before the arrival of the ambulance, the patient’s chances of survival double.
Today, if someone suffers a cardiac arrest out of hospital in the UK, they sadly have less than a one in ten chance of surviving.
By linking with the Resuscitation Council’s European Restart a Heart Day and the British Heart Foundation, SECAmb will provide hundreds of young people with the skills they need to help save a life.
SECAmb’s Restart a Heart co-ordinator and Commercial Training Manager Emma Ray said: “We’re delighted to be taking part in this initiative as a Trust for the first time. We’re focusing our attention on delivering training to schools and young people this year. We were keen to target young people as they are a vital group we need to teach to ensure people gain a life skill and the confidence to act quickly to help someone in cardiac arrest.”
Anyone interested in finding out more for their school or group should please contact emma.ray@secamb.nhs.uk or you’re their local Community First Responder group.
