On 16 October, the Resuscitation Council and an alliance of partners including the British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, St John Ambulance, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England and others, will come together for 'Restart A Heart Day' to increase public awareness of cardiac arrests and the number of people trained in life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Approximately 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen every year in the UK. Sadly, less than 1 in 10 people survive these cardiac arrests. Performing CPR can more than double the chances of survival in some cases. The Restart A Heart campaign aims to improve the low numbers of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
The campaign aims to make sure people know that when someone collapses and stops breathing, it’s important to call 999, perform CPR and use a defibrillator if there’s one available nearby. As around 80% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home, this gives everyone the best chance of surviving.
Richard Fuller MP said:
Every second counts when someone goes into cardiac arrest. The Resuscitation Council has created a video to explain how to keep yourself safe and begin chest compressions if you see someone in a state of cardiac arrest. The British Heart Foundation has also produced a video to teach people how to perform CPR in 15 minutes.
The video creation comes after research found 74% of people have learned how to perform CPR – but only 44% feel confident in performing it if someone was in a life-threatening situation.
For more information on 'Restart A Heart Day', and to watch the CPR video, please visit this website.
The 15 minute RevivR training from the British Heart Foundation can be accessed here.
