Getting Scotland CPR ready

People can now learn how to do CPR to the tune of the Proclaimer’s hit ‘I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)’.

The online film, funded by the Scottish Government and featuring Carole Smillie, has been created with the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) partnership.

CPR can more than double the chances of survival following a cardiac arrest. The film is part of Scotland’s Strategy for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest - a five-year plan to equip 500,000 people with CPR skills and save an additional 1,000 lives by 2020.

Speaking at the launch of the film at Braehead Shopping Centre in Glasgow, Health Secretary Shona Robison said:

“CPR saves lives and this film is a great way to learn those vital skills. The latest statistics show around half of adults in Scotland are confident giving CPR and to date more than 200,000 people across the country have learned CPR since 2015. This is testament to the work put in by SALFS partners, who have brought these lifesaving skills to people across the country.”

Lisa MacInnes, Director of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign said:

“We hope that 500 miles will become the CPR anthem for a generation in Scotland. This familiar tune will remind us that CPR is the right thing to do and the beat helps us remember the right rhythm for chest compressions. Someone who is having a cardiac arrest needs help, you cannot make the situation worse for them. You can be the one to help buy them time until the ambulance arrives and save a life.”

Paul Lucas, intu Braehead’s operations manager said: “This is a great initiative and we’ll do all we can to help get the message out there. We hope lots of people learn how to carry out CPR, as that means they could save a life if someone has a cardiac arrest.”

Background

The film can be found at: https://youtu.be/KAu9l2pWOis

Around 3,500 people are treated annually by the Scottish Ambulance Service for a cardiac arrest and only 1 in 13 survive. A crucial factor is delay in treatment – for every 60 seconds that passes before CPR is performed, the chance of survival falls by 10 per cent.

SALFS is a collaboration of emergency services, third sector organisations, community groups, academics, industry partners and the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA): A Strategy for Scotland, http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/03/7484