Ambulance service urges people to learn CPR
West Midlands Ambulance Service has joined forces with the Resuscitation Council UK to encourage everybody to learn CPR skills.
CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can help save the life of someone in cardiac arrest.
Every year across the UK there are around 60,000 cardiac arrests outside of a hospital setting yet only around one in 10 of them will survive.
Ambulance crews start, or continue, resuscitation in approximately 30,000 of those cases but acting quickly is vital.
A person’s chances of survival decrease by up to 10 per cent for every minute without CPR or access to a defibrillator.
A UK-wide survey carried out on behalf of the Resuscitation Council UK in September 2020 revealed that over a third of UK adults have not received any type of training on how to help someone experiencing a cardiac arrest.
WMAS chief executive Anthony Marsh said: “When our staff arrive at the scene of a cardiac arrest, there is nothing that can help them more than if bystanders have already started CPR, as this undoubtedly gives the patient the best chance of survival.
“Ambulance staff receive incredible levels of praise from the public for saving lives, but you have the ability to do it too.
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"Imagine how it feels to know you had played a part in saving someone’s life.
"Imagine how it would feel if you had been in that position but not known what to do to help.
“I urge everyone to learn how to do CPR as soon as possible, you never know when you might be required to try and save someone’s life.”
Sue Hampshire, director of clinical and service development at Resuscitation Council UK, said: “We want everybody to feel able to do something, to act quickly and not to hesitate or worry about causing harm to the person they are trying to help.
"No greater harm can occur than failing to act when someone requires CPR and defibrillation.
“We understand people may feel nervous about doing CPR because of Covid-19, and that’s why we currently advise that you do chest compression-only CPR and don’t put your face near the person who has collapsed when checking for breathing.”
For more information on how to learn CPR visit www.resus.org.uk/watch
