TWO and a half million pounds will be put towards a programme in Wales to boost survival rates after a cardiac arrest. 

The Welsh Government is making the money available over three years to the Save a Life Cymru initiative, which aims to increase the number of people able to carry out CPR and have the confidence to use defibrillators. 

The programme aims to educate people in Wales about the need to help anyone suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and help develop their skills and confidence to provide CPR and defibrillation. 

According to the Welsh Government those suffering a heart attack outside of a hospital in Wales have the lowest survival chances in the UK at 4.6 per cent. 

That is less than half that of England (9.4 per cent) and lower than Scotland (10.2 per cent and Norway (25 per cent) and the Netherlands (21 per cent). 

Health minister Eluned Morgan said: “It is vital we educate people about what to do when someone suffers a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting. By raising awareness of the basic skills needed to carry out CPR and use a defibrillator, we can make a significant difference to survival rates. 

“This funding will help communities to work with Save a Life Cymru and the Welsh Ambulance Service to improve the provision and maintenance of defibrillators and to improve the skills to help save lives.” 

Adam Fletcher, head of the British Heart Foundation Cymru which is one of a number of charities that are part of the Save a Life Cymru programme, welcomed the announcement. 

He said while out of hospital survival rates can be difficult to measure it is clear Britain lags behind other European countries. 

He said: “All UK nations are a long way behind other European countries and the most simple reason for that is not enough people know how to do CPR. 

“In countries like Denmark they learn CPR in schools and they have done for a long time and that means they’ve got many people who are ready and competent in an emergency and the same is true in Norway.” 

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An amendment, passed in the last Senedd, ensured CPR and life saving skills will be part of the school curriculum in Wales which has been welcomed by the British Heart Foundation. 

It is estimated 6,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Wales each year 

The government hopes that education about the dangers of cardiac arrest and providing people with CPR and defibrillation training will lead to better health outcomes and survival rates. 

Save a Life Cymru has an Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan which will also include partnerships with Cardiff University,  the Home Builder’s Federation and the Football Association of Wales. 

Prof Len Nokes, who is chair of the SALC Partnership, club doctor for Cardiff City F.C and pitch doctor for the Football Association of Wales, said: “As we have recently seen at Euro 2020, anyone can have a cardiac arrest. Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch and he owes his life to his team mates and the medical team who performed CPR and used a defibrillator to save his life. 

“Not everyone will have a medical team close at hand when they have a cardiac arrest and therefore our aim at Save a Life Cymru is to inspire everyone in Wales to learn CPR and defibrillation skills to help save more lives.” 

  • This article originally appeared on our sister site The National.