Mid Derbyshire MP backs call for CPR training in schools

Pictured, left to right, campaignining for CPR lessons for pupils are David Amess, Nick Hobbs, Julie Hilling, Edward Garnier, Sheryl Murray, Sir Oliver Heald, Mandy Hobbs, Julian Huppert, Stephen Pound, Samantha Hobbs, Marcus Jones, and Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham.

The BHF is calling on the Government and education authorities to help create a Nation of Lifesavers and make CPR a mandatory part of secondary education.

The campaign has received overwhelming public support with more than 80,000 people across the UK signing up to the petition.

Mrs Latham joined the nation’s heart charity in delivering the petition to the Department of Education, in a bid to make education secretary MP Nicky Morgan take the campaign forward and ensure every young person leaves secondary school equipped with the skills they need to help save a life.

Mrs Latham said: “By making CPR a mandatory part of secondary education we would be teaching the next generation one of the most important lessons they will ever learn - how to save a life.

“I first became involved with the British Heart Foundation when constituents of mine contacted me about their son who had died of a sudden cardiac arrest and because of this I am still too aware of the need to act quickly in this situation. We need everyone to have the confidence and the skills to step in and give someone the best possible chance of survival.”

More than 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year in the UK, but less than one in ten survive .

The BHF wants to dramatically improve survival rates by creating a Nation of Lifesavers and making sure every young person leaves secondary school knowing how to perform CPR.

Survival rates in the UK are much lower than other countries. In parts of Norway, where children learn CPR in schools, up to 25 per cent people survive a cardiac arrest.