North Swindon MP Sees Personal Campaign Come To Fruition With Plans To Teach All Children First Aid

The Government has put forward proposals for all school children in England to learn first aid. This follows years of campaigning by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson and the British Heart Foundation.

Justin has been extremely proactive on this issue; leading debates in Parliament, meeting with senior Government Ministers including Damien Hinds, the Secretary of State for Education who has brought forward the proposals, and has even organised first aid lessons for members of the public at his community office in Swindon.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “One of the best things about being an MP is the ability to bring about real change. When my dad suffered a fatal cardiac arrest, I was age 12 and the only person with him. I fumbled around in shock and attempted to give CPR – going off what I had seen on the TV. I had never been taught how to administer CPR and had I been, my dad might still be here today."

"After his death, I vowed to make a difference. Since my election to Parliament in 2010, I have worked with the British Heart Foundation and pushed hard & consistently to campaign for life-saving skills to be taught in schools. It has been a long process, but I and my fellow campaigners were determined not to give up. With fewer than 1 in 10 people surviving a cardiac arrest outside of hospital, we knew that we were literally campaigning to save lives."

"I am therefore delighted that Damien Hinds has brought forward draft legislation to teach primary school children first aid. This is a huge step forward in our fight to create a nation of life-savers. Whilst I wasn’t able to save my dad all those years ago, I am so pleased that the next generation of young people will be equipped with the skills that I didn’t learn.”

Posted in Articles on Jul 24, 2018