Move to train all high school pupils in CPR skills praised

West Lothian Council’s promise to equip all of its secondary school pupils with CPR skills has been hailed as a pioneering and life-saving move by British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland.

In taking this decision, West Lothian Council becomes the eleventh Local Authority in Scotland to commit to training all secondary school pupils in lifesaving CPR.

It means almost 120,000 pupils, more than a third of all school pupils in Scotland, live in a Local Authority which has made a commitment to rolling out CPR education for everyone.

Through this decision, West Lothian Council has pledged to work with BHF Scotland, head teachers and education officials to ensure every secondary pupil receives CPR training at an appropriate stage in the curriculum.

The move comes after discussions between the charity and council leaders to address the nation’s poor survival rate from cardiac arrest outside of hospital and the imperative for everyone to have the skills that could save a life.

West Lothian Council executive councillor for education David Dodds said:“We are delighted to be working with the British Heart Foundation on this initiative. We agree that it is crucial that as many pupils as possible are equipped with such skills as one day they could be in a position to save a life.”

David McColgan, senior policy and public affairs manager, BHF Scotland, said:“International evidence from Denmark, Norway and Seattle all shows that delivering a systematic and sustainable model of CPR training in schools leads to an increase in survival rates in out of hospital cardiac arrest and today West Lothian council have made their intention clear by helping to create a Nation of Lifesavers and working towards giving the people of West Lothian a better chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.”

The BHF’s Call Push Rescue CPR training kit is free for eligible secondary schools across the UK. To find out more about CPR, or how to apply for a kit, visit bhf.org.uk/cpr