Andrew Stephenson, MP for Pendle, is urging constituents to get prepared now so that they would know what to do if faced with a cardiac arrest. This comes as St John Ambulance’s latest research shows more than half of Britons (53%) have no idea where their nearest lifesaving equipment is, despite the fact that up to seven out of 10 people who suffer a cardiac arrest could survive if they are treated with a defibrillator inside the first five minutes.
The new statistics also found that 61% wouldn’t know what to do if faced with a cardiac arrest; and while 81% know what a defibrillator does, 70% of people would not feel confident using one, plus an astonishing 62% wrongly believe it would cause harm to a patient.
Andrew Stephenson MP said, “I support St John Ambulance’s call for the nation to get prepared in the event of a cardiac arrest. I recently promoted St John Ambulance’s Big First Aid Lesson 2017, which was designed to teach CPR and first aid training in schools. This is an issue that I have constantly spoken on and recently been helping with a project to install numerous new defibrillators across Pendle.”
“As a Community First Responder with the North West Ambulance Service, I know that it is incredibly important to be ready and prepared in the event of a cardiac arrest. It is very worrying to hear that people still don’t know where their nearest defibrillator is or have the confidence to use it. This is so important considering the huge differences in survival rates when a defibrillator is used.”
Visit www.sja.org.uk/care to learn the steps of C.A.R.E.