Another council confirms all pupils will learn lifesaving CPR skills

ALL pupils in North Lanarkshire will be taught life-saving CPR, the council has confirmed.

Every secondary school pupil will learn the first aid skill in the classroom following pressure by British Heart Foundation Scotland and the Evening Times.

A total of 28 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have now pledged to roll out the training to pupils.

There are around 3,000 outof-hospital cardiac arrests in Scotland each year but the survival rate is just one in 12 and for every minute without CPR, the chances of surviving drop by up to 10 per cent.

Councllor Frank McNally, North Lanarkshire Council’s Convener of Education and Families, said: “We were the first, and still one of the few, councils to site a defibrillator in every secondary and ASN establishment.

“We’re proud that we’re enhancing the delivery of key life-skills training through this new partnership with the British Heart Foundation.”

Daniel Jones, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, BHF Scotland, said: “This is fantastic news.

“It means we are within touching distance of our aim of having every local authority in Scotland committed to training their pupils in CPR.

“Less than one in 12 people survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest in the country, partly because too few bystanders have the expertise or confidence to perform CPR.”