60,000 Scots trained in CPR in campaign to save more lives
More than 60,000 people have been given CPR training in the last 12 months in a campaign aimed at saving lives.
More than 60,000 people have been given CPR training in the last 12 months in a campaign aimed at saving lives.
The training was delivered as part of a multi-agency drive to improve the response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The five-year strategy aims to save 1,000 extra lives by 2020 and equip an additional 500,000 people in Scotland with CPR skills.
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell launched a review of the first year of Scotland's Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy on a visit to Beeslack High School in Penicuik, Midlothian, where she joined P7 and S1 pupils in a CPR training session.
She said: "Each year in Scotland there are around 3,000 cardiac arrests out of hospital. Cardiac arrest is when a person's heart completely stops and if this happens, CPR must be administered within minutes or the person will likely die.
"That is why CPR training and education is so vitally important.
"Indeed we know that over three-quarters of people believe that everyone should be trained in CPR, although only half of people have had the training.
"Our strategy aims to equip as many people as possible with these life-saving skills as well as looking at how our healthcare and emergency services can support a rapid and effective response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest."
The Save a Life for Scotland partnership is a national collaboration of more than a dozen organisations including emergency services, and the next phase will prioritise engaging with and training young people in CPR as well as building links with communities that have disproportionately poorer outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Ms Campbell said: "Over the last year some very promising progress has been made. This is thanks, in no small part, to the great efforts of all of our partners involved in this work.
"We are now looking to build on these solid foundations going into next year, with a focus in 2017 on raising awareness amongst young people about the importance of CPR."
Other actions planned for next year include Police Scotland trialling the use of defibrillators by road policing units in Grampian, and a social media campaign with Young Scot to explore youngsters' knowledge and attitude towards CPR.
Dr Gareth Clegg, resuscitation research group lead at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Every week across Scotland the equivalent of a full double-decker bus load of people have resuscitation attempted after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).
"Unfortunately only around one in 20 of these people will return home to their families alive.
"Scotland's strategy for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest brings together a range of partners from emergency services to third sector organisations. Together we have the opportunity to save hundreds of lives across the country, but we need the help of the people of Scotland.
"By being willing to perform bystander CPR, any of us could dramatically increase the chance of an OHCA victim's survival. The people of Scotland have the power to save lives in our hands.
"Be ready to save a life - find training near you by visiting www.savealife.scot."