Learning for life

Inside the sector, Proactivist — By TFNadmin on 01/12/2011 10:53 pm

What’s your campaign called?

Emergency Life Support in Schools. The campaign is led by British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) and Lucky2BHere, as part of a wider coalition.

What’s the point?

We want to see emergency life support (ELS) skills taught in all Scottish schools as part of the Curriculum for Excellence. ELS is the set of actions that can help keep someone alive until professional help arrives. It includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and dealing with other life-threatening emergencies, such as bleeding, choking and heart attack. ELS can make the difference between life and death, and the training takes as little as two hours of the school year.

Why should we care?

The Scottish Ambulance Service receives around 25 cardiac arrest calls every day. Around two thirds of cardiac arrests that happen outside of hospital occur in the home, and nearly half that occur in public are witnessed by bystanders. Knowing what to do to help keep someone alive until professional help arrives can significantly increase their chances of survival. But too often, people don’t know how to help. ELS training in schools could empower thousands of young people to make a real difference in their communities by helping others when they need it most.

Who else cares?

Parents, teachers and pupils overwhelmingly support the teaching of ELS in schools – a recent UK-wide survey found that 85 per cent of teachers, 78 per cent of young people and 70 per cent of parents backed the campaign. BHF Scotland, CHSS and Lucky2BHere are leading the campaign, with support from many other organisations, including St Andrew’s First Aid, the Scottish Ambulance Service, the Royal College of Nursing, the British Medical Association and the Resuscitation Council UK. MSPs are also backing ELS in schools. A recent members’ debate at Holyrood saw ten MSPs from all the main parties backing the campaign.

Who are you targeting?

So far, we’ve been working hard to raise awareness of this vital issue among MSPs and with the Scottish Government. The next phase of activity will focus on local government, where responsibility for implementing the Curriculum for Excellence lies. But we’re calling on everyone – especially parents, teachers and young people themselves – to support this campaign.

What will a better world look like?

A new generation of life savers could make a huge difference in communities across Scotland. With our young people trained to save lives, they’ll know what to do if a loved one or a member of the public needs help. Learning how to save a life should be as important as learning to read and write.

What can we do?

Help save lives in Scotland. Find out more at Lucky2BHere.org or bhf.org.uk/lifesaving where you can also sign the petition. In your area, you can collect petition signatures and encourage your local school and local politicians to support the campaign. Contact your local authority to ask if they currently provide ELS training and, if not, if they’ll commit to doing so in future. And help make sure that all our young people leave school with the skills and confidence to save a life.