Scotland steps up to become a lifesaving nation!

Hundreds of people will learn life saving CPR skills today (Monday, October 16) at community events across Scotland '“ skills that could save a life when someone goes into cardiac arrest.

Today, European Restart a Heart Day, the Save a Life for Scotland Campaign turns two years old and is well on the way to equipping 500,000 folks living in Scotland with the lifesaving skill of CPR.

What happens in the few minutes after a cardiac arrest is a matter of life and death. Each year in Scotland thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds will have an unexpected cardiac arrest out of hospital. Being first on the scene is scary. Calling 999 to get help on the way and stepping up to do compression-only CPR is not an easy decision but it’s the right thing to do. Taking a few minutes to learn how to perform CPR and make yourself ‘CPR ready’ will make all the difference, and can save a life.

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Today sees a large number of community based CPR events taking place, which are open to the public, from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders, and train stations to leisure centres, with the sole aim of reaching as many people in Scotland to raise awareness of cardiac arrest and teach them the lifesaving skill of CPR in as little as five minutes.

Restart a Heart Day is one day in the 365 days continuous action to improve Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) survival, by the unique partnership of public services, voluntary organisations and communities as agreed in Scotland’s OHCA Strategy (1). Over 100,000 people in Scotland have been equipped with CPR skills in the past year.

Lisa MacInnes, National Programme Manager for Save a Life for Scotland says: “We need each other to be ready to do CPR if we should ever have to do it. By starting CPR, people in Scotland can double or even triple the chances of someone surviving and play an essential part in bringing someone back home to their loved ones.

“We’re all worried we could do more harm and that someone would be much better than us when it comes to something as serious as doing CPR, but the reality is that we can’t do any more harm and actually what we can do, makes a huge difference. Any is better than no CPR We’re asking everyone in Scotland to get ready, don’t put it on the ‘to do’ list, do it now.”

To find out more and where you can learn CPR and get involved with the campaign visit www.savealife.scot

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