IN MY VIEW... WE COULD ALL DO WITH A LESSON IN FIRST AID

WHEN a doctor attends their annual appraisal — to confirm that they still have what’s needed to work in medicine — they must provide evidence of the revision courses they’ve attended.

It’s recommended these courses include one on how to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

You might think this is a waste of time, as surely every doctor knows what to do when someone is having a cardiac arrest.

And, frankly, I fear this is true, not least because such sessions are also attended by non-medics, so they cover only the most basic kind of CPR — quite different from that taught in medical school.

Checking for a pulse and giving mouth- to- mouth have been dropped from the protocol, as experts say they’re not essential.

The accepted wisdom now is that it is better to concentrate on cardiac compressions, to keep pushing blood to the organs, than blow air into the lungs.

Doctor grumbling aside, there is no doubt such basic skills can and do save lives, keeping the blood flowing until help arrives in the form of a defibrillator.

Studies have shown that using CPR and a defibrillator can double the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest. These devices are put in areas of high footfall, such as train stations, and have pictorial and audio instructions, so bystanders can use them as they wait for the emergency services to arrive.

However, studies have shown people can be too scared to use them. This, I fear, may cost lives.

And that’s why I think everyone should be required to attend a first aid course: they build skills, bring confidence and help people understand that, in an emergency, you don’t need to be a doctor to make a difference.

So I welcome the excellent first aid series being launched in the Mail this Saturday, in association with St John Ambulance.

Teaching more people first aid can only be a good thing.