Restart a Heart

Restart a Heart returns this October 2024! Learn CPR, act fast, save lives.

Restart a Heart (RSAH) is an annual initiative led by Resuscitation Council UK which aims to increase the number of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by helping more people learn CPR.

Find out how you can support our Restart a Heart campaign, watch videos, download resources, and more on this page.

Survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remain stubbornly low in the UK, with fewer than one in 10 people surviving. 

What is Restart a Heart?

Every October an alliance of partners all over the world (including UK Ambulance Services, universities, and other charitable and public sector community-based organisations and first aid training organisations) come together to increase public awareness of cardiac arrests and the number of people trained in lifesaving CPR and defibrillation.

We do this by organising and facilitating training events and by providing opportunities for people to learn CPR and defibrillation digitally in the safety and comfort of their own homes.

You can expect to see Restart a Heart events happening throughout October, and on Restart a Heart day on 16 October. This year we are encouraging everyone to become ready for the ultimate medical emergency by learning the steps to CPR and how to use a defib. We are also continuing to highlight inequalities in resuscitation. 

Whether you're hosting an event or attending one, teaching in person or learning online, you have a key role to play in improving survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. You can ensure that everyone has a chance to learn CPR and how to use a defib and that those having a sudden cardiac arrest have their best chance of surviving.  

Here’s how you can get involved

Show your support

Let your friends and family know you’re supporting Restart a Heart by using the hashtag #RestartAHeart on social media. A digital communication pack for 2024 is available with sample social posts, hashtags and digital information. 

Events

Restart a Heart events will happen across the world this October! You can get involved by downloading our training provider pack which you can use as a guide to run your event. 

If you are running an in-person event you can order a branded event pack from our shop including ‘I'm CPR trained!’ stickers, bunting and posters for your event. The event pack is available for free, with costs payable on postage and packing. You can also download and print our free event poster to advertise your event.

To find out what events St. John Ambulance are running for Restart a Heart, visit their website.

Ambulance services across the UK are holding events both in-person and online (including livestreams and training sessions held via video conferencing apps.)

To find out what your local ambulance service is doing for Restart a Heart, click ‘Ambulance Contacts’ below.
 

Resources for learning and teaching:

Additional resources from St John Ambulance

• View translated resources via Translating With Communities
• Access the CPR Community Network - improving access to CPR and AED training
• Download an Activity Book.

Why you should learn CPR

• Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping blood around the body, and causes a person to collapse and stop breathing normally.
• Survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remain stubbornly low in the UK, with fewer than one in ten people surviving. If CPR were more widely taught, thousands of lives could be saved every year. (Resuscitation to Recovery)  
• Around 80% of cardiac arrests happen in the home. Learning CPR guarantees that you have the skills to help those around you, including in the home. 
• Every second counts when having a cardiac arrest. It’s not fair that who you are, where you're from or your socio-economic background could affect whether you survive. 

Read their stories

• Find out why this group of cardiac arrest survivors, lifesavers and loved ones want you to learn how to Restart a Heart.
• Responding quickly to an emergency is just as important now as it ever was, explains lifesaver Peter Costello.