First Aid courses in Derbyshire: New St John Ambulance research reveals most people lack basic life-saving skills

Only four in 10 (43%) people would know how to do CPR to save someone in cardiac arrest and less than a third (32%) would know how to use a defibrillator, according to new research from health charity St John Ambulance – which has launched its Save a Life September campaign.

Among other findings are that fewer than half of the population (44%) know how to give basic back blows to someone choking, while fewer than four in 10 (38%) people said they would know how to treat a serious bleed from an injury or wound.

How to give life-saving chest compressions and restart a heart using a defibrillator, how to treat someone who is choking, and how to deal with a severe bleed will be three first aid topics taught by the charity’s volunteers in demonstrations in public places around the country during September, through online sessions and by giving away free first aid pocket guides. The charity hopes to reach 50,000 people through these methods.

The research showed these were the three first aid topics people most wanted to learn about, as more than a quarter surveyed (26%) said they had never learned any first aid.

People in Derbyshire can attend free training at the following locations during the campaign:

• 21 September – 9am-5pm – Derbion Community Hub, Derbion Shopping Centre, London Road, Derby DE1 2PL
• 22 September – 10.30am-4.30pm – Derbion Community Hub, Derbion Shopping Centre, London Road, Derby DE1 2PL
• 22 September – 10am-4pm - Carriage House, Chatsworth, Bakewell DE45 1PP
• 23 September – 10am-4pm - Carriage House, Chatsworth, Bakewell DE45 1PP

St John Ambulance Head of Community Education, Carl Makins, said: “This September we plan to show thousands of members of the public how to save lives, focusing on the first aid that they most want to learn. Tragically, due to the rise in knife crime, it feels particularly relevant to be teaching people how to treat severe blood loss.

“It’s vital more of us within our communities know how to respond to the life-threatening situations which many of us will sadly face in our lives.

“There are nearly 300 deaths a year due to choking, yet more than half of us don’t know how to give back blows to clear someone’s airway. We also know that giving CPR and using a defibrillator can more than double someone’s chance of survival. It’s so often those quick actions taken by people who find themselves first on scene in the critical minutes before an ambulance arrives, that make the difference between life and death.” 

For more information about Save a Life September demonstrations and guides, people can visit bit.ly/savealifeseptember.