The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Life-saving campaign for CPR training hits its 500k target a year early
A campaign to teach 500,000 people in Scotland how to perform life-saving CPR has hit its target a year ahead of schedule.
News that the national Save A Life For Scotland programme had hit its milestone target was announced on Restart a Heart Day yesterday.
The programme was launched in 2015 as a collaboration between emergency services, third sector organisations and the Scottish Government to improve the likelihood of survival after an out of hospital cardiac arrest.
Its aim was to increase the number of folk available to do bystander CPR by training 500,000 people on it by 2020.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick praised the success of the campaign after it hit its milestone early.
He said starting CPR immediately after the heart stops beating can double and sometimes triple the chances of survival.
Mr FitzPatrick said: “It’s fantastic news that our aim to equip an additional 500,000 people with CPR skills has been reached ahead of schedule. This joint campaign with public and voluntary services is an excellent example of how we can all work together to improve a person’s chance of survival.
“I would encourage everyone to learn CPR, because any CPR beats none.”
Restart a Heart Day, part of the Resuscitation Council’s Restart a Heart Campaign, is the annual worldwide push to raise awareness of cardiac arrests and increase the number of people equipped in CPR.
The Scottish Ambulance Service said it responds to around 3,500 people in cardiac arrest each year and has about 1,200 volunteer community first responders who are all trained in life-saving CPR.
Its medical director Dr Jim Ward praised the public for coming forward in such numbers to be trained.
He said: “Fast action is critical to save the life of a person in cardiac arrest, and without prompt CPR the chances of surviving are very low.
“At the launch of Scotland’s national OHCA strategy in 2015, around one in 20 survived to hospital discharge – this is now around one in 12 and improving.”