Justin Tomlinson MP today met the British Heart Foundation to discuss his continued campaign to see emergency life-saving skills taught in schools.
There are 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year and only one in twelve will survive. For every minute that passes in cardiac arrest, the patient’s chance of survival falls by 10%. However, if immediate CPR—cardiopulmonary resuscitation—is given, survival rates increase threefold. In Seattle, all young people are trained in these essential skills, an investment that is reflected in survival rates. Whilst in the UK less than 10% survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, in Seattle that is a staggering 46%.
The meeting was an opportunity to discuss how the well-supported campaign to see every child taught vital life-saving skills as a compulsory part of the national curriculum can be taken forward. It was also a chance to discuss the work of the British Heart Foundation, such as their 'Stayin' Alive' campaign that sees actor Vinnie Jones teach hands only CPR.
Justin Tomlinson MP said "What I am asking for will take only 0.2% of the school year. It takes less than two hours fully to train a young person in ELS; that is the equivalent of just one physical education lesson. These are skills that will remain with people for the rest of their lives.
"My request is not new. Norway, Denmark and France already have this as part of their national curricula. The American Heart Association has decreed that no child who is non-proficient in CPR should be able to graduate from secondary school. The British Heart Foundation already has more than 900 schools actively engaged in the Heartstart campaign, helping train thousands of children in these essential skills, but this campaign needs to be extended to every school. I urge everyone to sign the petition at the British Heart Foundation website."
Dr Peter Crouch, General Practitioner at Taw Hill Medical Practice, Principal Police Surgeon for Thames Valley Police & Chair of the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group for Swindon heartily commends Justin’s campaign, he said “I think that Justin Tomlinson is to be commended for supporting this campaign and I wholeheartedly agree – teaching these skills at school will equip a significant proportion of the population with important life skills which could literally save countless lives”.
You can read Justin's original Parliamentary speech on his campaign here and watch the Stayin' Alive campaign below.
Sign the British Heart Foundation's petition to show your support for the campaign here
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