The Restart a Heart initiative led by Resuscitation Council UK that aims to raise public awareness and increase the number of people trained in CPR.
This year four resuscitation officers from NHS Dumfries and Galloway brought the training to the region for the first time.
One of those was Victoria Purdie, who said: “It’s been such a valuable experience being out and about in local communities sharing our knowledge. The response from the public has been brilliant. We set out with a goal to have 500 people in the region trained in CPR over the course of a week. We are delighted to have more than met that goal with 670 people trained.
“With fewer than one in ten people surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest, knowing there are 670 people in the region who can potentially use their training to make a difference, restarting a heart until medical professionals arrive on the scene, is amazing.
“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to come along to the training events, and local businesses and organisations for providing the venues and making us so welcome.”
Thanking them, NHS DG medical director Dr Ken Donaldson said: “What a fantastic effort by this team of staff training hundreds of members of the public throughout the region in CPR in just five days. I’m delighted to hear of such enthusiasm by the public supporting the Resuscitation Council UK’s initiative.”
The team are now looking at plans for the next CPR training roadshow. And they hope that it will become an annual event in the region.
- For further information about Restart a Heart and CPR training go to www.resus.org.uk/get-involved/restart-heart-day or telephone 020 7388 4678.
