Secondary schools across the Aire and Wharfe Valleys are being urged to sign up for a free life-saving lesson from Yorkshire Ambulance Service to mark Restart a Heart Day 2022 later this year.
Staff and volunteers will visit secondary schools across Yorkshire to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to around 40,000 students on Friday 14 October.
The campaign launch comes as research confirms the effectiveness of the training on people’s confidence and competence to step in and save the life of someone in cardiac arrest.
Results of a study among students who took part in last year’s training revealed that the life-saving lesson led to:
- 90% being able to identify someone in cardiac arrest (48% increase from pre to post training)
- 93% being confident to perform chest compressions (51% increase from pre to post training)
- 58% being confident to use a defibrillator if there was one nearby (55% increase from pre to post training)
- 93% being willing to perform CPR on a family member (33% increase from pre to post training)
- 86% being willing to perform CPR on a stranger (42% increase from pre to post training).
Jason Carlyon, Community Engagement Manager for Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “We were delighted with the results of the research which emphasise the importance of the CPR training on student’s knowledge, attitude and willingness to help in the event of a cardiac arrest. By making CPR training more accessible to all, we will be able to improve cardiac arrest survival rates.”
Secondary schools can register for Restart a Heart Day 2022 by completing the form here before the closing date on Friday 1 April.
Over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital in the UK every year. The earlier a patient can receive CPR and a shock from a defibrillator, the greater their chance of survival.
Currently in the UK, less than one (8.6%) in ten people survive a cardiac arrest. If we achieved the same survival rates of countries like Norway (25%), where CPR is taught in schools, an additional 100 lives could be saved each week - the equivalent of approximately 5,000 every year.
Restart a Heart Day is again being organised in conjunction with the Resuscitation Council (UK), the British Heart Foundation, which provides training equipment to eligible schools free of charge as part of its Nation of Lifesavers campaign, and St John Ambulance.
For more information visit restartaheart.yas.nhs.uk
