Don’t delay: learn now how to get hands on with CPR
Everybody across society can help save lives
Resuscitation Council UK has joined forces with the UK’s ambulance services to encourage everybody to learn, or refresh, their CPR skills, so they know what to do if someone collapses and stops breathing normally.
Only around 1 in 10 people who have a sudden cardiac arrest in the UK survive to hospital discharge, and their survival depends on people around them taking prompt action to try to save their life.
With people now getting into closer proximity to family, friends, colleagues, and strangers due to the easing of lockdown restrictions, it is increasingly important everyone has the skills to save a life and knows how to keep themselves safe.
Studies published by the London Ambulance Service and the North East Ambulance Service, based on their ambulance service data from the first wave of the pandemic, revealed that there was an increase in cardiac arrests at home and a decrease in survival. Resuscitation Council UK and the ambulance services want to reassure people that they should be confident to act quickly and perform compression-only CPR as their actions could save a life.
The importance of community and school-based training and the need for everybody to learn the basic skills to save a life are emphasised in the latest Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines. Published last week, the RCUK Guidelines 2021 state that “every person should learn to provide the basic skills to save a life.”
However, a UK-wide survey carried out on behalf of Resuscitation Council UK in September 2020 revealed that over a third of UK adults (36%) have not received any type of training on how to help someone experiencing a cardiac arrest.
As face-to-face training is still returning to normal, the ambulance services and Resuscitation Council UK want people to make use now of the many digital teaching resources available. This includes RCUK’s animation, which shows the steps to take to keep yourself as safe as possible when doing CPR during the pandemic and their Lifesaver game.
Every year across the UK there are around 60,000 cardiac arrests outside of a hospital setting and ambulance crews start, or continue, resuscitation in approximately 30,000 of those. As a person’s chances of survival decrease by up to 10% with every minute without CPR or access to a defibrillator, rapid action by members of the public is vital.
RCUK Guidelines 2021 highlight that:
- Recognising a cardiac arrest remains a key priority as it is the first step in triggering the emergency response to cardiac arrest.
- Witnesses need to recognise a cardiac arrest has occurred in any unresponsive person with absent or abnormal breathing.
- Call 999. The ambulance call handler will assist you with instructions for confirming cardiac arrest, starting compression-only CPR, and locating, retrieving, and using an Automated External Defibrillator.
- Start chest compressions as soon as possible and continue without stopping or leaving the person.
- Send someone to fetch an Automated External Defibrillator and bring it to the scene of the cardiac arrest.
Sue Hampshire, Director of Clinical and Service Development at Resuscitation Council UK, said: “There has been very little public attention on the importance of recognising a sudden cardiac arrest and learning CPR during the pandemic, and we want to change this.
“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.
“As cardiac arrests have increased during the pandemic and as most cardiac arrests happen in the home, we want everybody to know what to do. Someone you care about may need you to act immediately to help save their life. Also, now restrictions are starting to ease, you may be more likely to witness someone collapse and stop breathing normally while you’re out shopping, at work, or elsewhere, that needs your help too.
“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.
“It doesn’t take long to learn CPR, so please watch our animation or play Lifesaver now, so you know what to do and have the confidence to act quickly in an emergency. Your actions could be the difference between someone living or dying.”
Managing Director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) Martin Flaherty OBE, QAM says: “When somebody goes into sudden cardiac arrest their chance of survival can be significantly improved by those who are around them taking immediate action to try to save their life. This may be a family member or a stranger, but either way, if that person starts to administer chest compressions, then the patient has a better chance of survival.
“The ambulance service staff will often stay on the phone with you after you have called 999 to help guide you through how to do CPR, which is obviously going to be a stressful time until the ambulance crews arrive. However, it is always best to think ahead and learn the CPR technique or refresh your learning if you undertook a course some time ago.
“We appreciate that through the Covid-19 pandemic people may have been reluctant to place their hands on somebody else’s chest in case they contracted the virus. However, as the successful UK vaccination programme continues to roll out, we hope people will once again find the confidence, and not hesitate to undertake CPR as a matter of course, as it may result in the saving of somebody’s life.”
Brian Livesey, 68, from London, says he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for CPR. When Brian went into cardiac arrest in August last year at home, his partner, Sally Hornsey, 68, immediately dialled 999, and was talked through CPR on the phone by the London Ambulance Service call handler.
Thanks to this early intervention, Brian has fully recovered and the couple are looking to the future. They plan to get married this summer, after Brian popped the question when he returned home from hospital.
Brian said: "Thanks to CPR I'm enjoying playing with my grandchildren, spending wonderful times with my friends, walking the beautiful English countryside and in the summer I will marry the woman I love. CPR saved my life and how lucky am I to continue to enjoy it.
“Life is much better than the alternative; CPR can make that difference happen."
To learn CPR today, visit: www.resus.org.uk/watch
Ends
Notes to editors
RCUK
Press office: 0207 391 0730
Email:
Andrea Ttofa, Director of Engagement and Influencing, Resuscitation Council UK,
andrea.ttofa@resus.org.uk
Emily Pulham, Senior Communications and Brand Manager, Resuscitation Council UK,
emily.pulham@resus.org.uk
Chloe Gynne, Digital Marketing and Communications Manager, Resuscitation Council UK,
chloe.gynne@resus.org.uk
AACE
Carl Rees, Head of Communications
Mobile: 07958 547727
Email: carl.rees@kognitive.co.uk
Interviewees with a story to share about CPR are available.
Further information and references
Currently, RCUK advises placing a cloth or towel loosely over the mouth and nose of the person who has collapsed, not putting your face close to the person’s face when checking for signs of breathing and doing chest compression only CPR (no mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths).
Fothergill RT, Smith AL, Wrigley F, Perkins GD. Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in London during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resusc Plus. 2021;5:100066. doi:10.1016/j.resplu.2020.100066
Charlton K, Limmer M, Moore H Incidence of emergency calls and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional study in a UK ambulance service Emergency Medicine Journal Published Online First: 08 April 2021. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2020-210291
You Gov carried out an online survey of 2,086 adults across the UK between 9th - 10th September 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
For the following question, by 'CPR', we mean an emergency process where action is taken to resuscitate someone in cardiac arrest by attempting to restore their circulation through chest compressions and/ or breathing through rescue breaths. Which, if any, of the following have you ever received training on to help someone experiencing a cardiac arrest? (Please select all that apply. If you have never received any type of training on how to help someone experiencing a cardiac arrest, please select the "Not applicable" option)
About Resuscitation Council UK
Resuscitation Council UK is saving lives by developing guidelines, influencing policy, delivering courses and supporting cutting-edge research. Through education, training and research, we’re working towards the day when everyone in the country has the skills they need to save a life.
About The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) is a membership organisation providing ambulance services with a central body that supports, coordinates and implements nationally agreed policy. The primary focus of AACE is the ongoing development of the UK ambulance service and the improvement of patient care. Aside from this, the organisation provides the general public and other stakeholders with a central resource of information about UK ambulance services. AACE also engages in carefully chosen consultancy activities designed to help improve ambulance services in general, both at home and abroad. More information is available at www.aace.org.uk.