Surrey's air ambulance wants to teach CPR across the region

Surrey's local air ambulance have said they want to teach everyone in Surrey, Kent and Sussex CPR and how to use a defibrillator - with 24 people a day experiencing a cardiac arrest in the South East.

This week marks Restart a Heart Day - and people across the country have been learning CPR.

Ben Paul is a paramedic at Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance - and said they need everyday people to know how to act quickly.

"Our aircraft can get anywhere in the southeast within about 30 minutes. But for people who have had a cardiac arrest - where their heart has stopped - time is not on their side."

"There's a fall in survival of 10% for every minute that CPR is delayed. And actually the data's very clear that if people receive CPR and defibrillation before the ambulance service arrives, it more than doubles their chances of survival."

Ben said the public can still play an essential role.

"So although we can get everywhere in the southeast quickly, we need members of the public to help."

The British Heart Foundation said more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen every year in the UK, with less than 1 in 10 people surviving.

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