Your hands can save a loved one’s Life’ says North West Ambulance Service

Ambulance Service encourages people to learn basic life-saving skill

The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) is calling upon the residents of Greater Manchester to learn Basic Life-saving Skills (BLS) and particularly cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) so they are best prepared if they witness a loved one having a cardiac arrest.

NWAS is encouraging residents to learn simple life-saving skills as part of European Restart a Heart Day today, 16 October.

Led by the European Resuscitation Council and now in its second year, the initiative aims to increase the low survival rates of out of hospital cardiac arrests as less than one in 10 survive these within the UK.

The theme for this year’s awareness day is ‘Loved Ones Save Lives’.

On average, 60,000 people suffer cardiac arrests in the UK every year and the majority of them do so at home with over 50 per cent of them witnessed by loved ones - including children.

Currently, bystander CPR is low – only one in three have any CPR before an ambulance arrives and, on average, less than 12 per cent survive. CPR before the ambulance arrives doubles the chance of survival therefore it is vital that bystanders know what to do in an emergency.

Andy Redgrave, NWAS Public Responder Scheme Manager, said: “Every minute someone does not receive treatment after suffering a cardiac arrest, their chances of survival decrease by 10 per cent. Clearly every second counts when an individual goes into cardiac arrest and members of the public have a vital role to play in helping victims when incidents like this happen.

“When you consider that the majority of out of hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home, CPR is clearly something we should all learn.

“European Restart a Heart Day helps us focus on the importance of learning key life-saving skills – they are easy to learn by anyone, young or old – and it is a skill you will have for life."

Through its ‘Cardiac Smart’ initiative, NWAS runs a variety of simple to access training schemes across the region for individuals and groups to learn BLS, including CPR. In addition to attending local schools to train and educate youngsters on the importance of learning these skills, the Trust also works with businesses, social groups and charities across the region to train people in CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators (AED’s).

An AED is a portable electronic device that is able to detect a cardiac arrest and treat the patient through defibrillation. This is when small electric current aims to stablise the rhythm of the patient’s heart. AEDs are designed for simple use and NWAS offer training in how to use these. NWAS also run train the trainer sessions so once you have learnt the skills, you can teach others.

CPR combined with the use of a defibrillator can boost the rate of survival of a patient suffering from a cardiac arrest.

Mr Redgrave adds: “We run many schemes across the region and are confident that if more people were trained in life saving skills and if more defibrillators are placed in public places, up to half of the deaths by cardiac arrest could potentially be prevented.”

Anyone in the North West can learn Basic Life-saving Skills. To find out how to receive training you can visit the CardiacSmart website at www.cardiacsmart.nwas.nhs.uk/. To register your defibrillator, visit the same website and click the link ‘register your defibrillator’. The First Responder website also has more information regarding training. Visit www.nwas-responders.info/ for more information.