Daisy Cooper MP brushes up on her CPR skills with Essex & Herts Air Ambulance

Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, is championing the importance of CPR, after a recent visit to the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance North Weald airbase.

The latest data suggests a third (34%) of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Essex and Hertfordshire don’t receive bystander CPR, pointing to a lack of knowledge and confidence.

During the visit, Ms Cooper met the air ambulance crew and brushed up on her own CPR skills and has since raised questions in parliament* about the lack of support for schools to deliver CPR training effectively.

Whilst all state-funded secondary schools are required to deliver CPR training, Daisy is challenging the government on the lack of guidance for schools on how to access the right resources and the lack of funding for equipment to deliver training properly.

Each year, around 35,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the UK, with survival rates below 10%. Every minute without CPR reduces the chance of survival by a further 10% making early intervention critical. As part of its mission to deliver life-saving pre-hospital care to critically ill or injured patients, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is committed to training children across Essex and Hertfordshire in vital CPR skills.

Essex and Hert Air Ambulance’s CPR Smart™ programme offers free CPR and defibrillator training to schools across Essex and Hertfordshire, with sessions delivered by EHAAT’s CPR Smart clinical team.

The programme takes CPR training in schools one step further by empowering teachers and sixth form students to become CPR Smart Champions, who then train the wider school community. Each champion receives training and on-going support to ensure they feel confident in teaching life-saving skills to their peers and younger students.

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance has already trained over 400 Champions across over 50 schools, building skills in hundreds more pupils. The charity is currently recruiting a paramedic who will focus specifically on delivering CPR training in Hertfordshire’s schools and exploring how VR might help bring CPR skills to even more people.

Since the visit, Daisy has also agreed to join the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Air Ambulances which aims to raise awareness, influence policy and improve outcomes for air ambulance charities and their patients. She will be the first regional representative for Essex & Herts.

Adam Carr, Critical Care Paramedic and EHAAT’s CPR Smart™ programme lead, said:

“Early CPR can make the difference between life and death. With bystanders, we often see it come down to confidence – people worry they’ll get it wrong. If we can embed CPR skills early, we can arm future generations with the ability to be potential lifesavers. With CPR Smart, we have the potential to create a ripple effect of life-saving knowledge in schools and communities right across the country”.

Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

“Having the skills and confidence to step in and help in instances of cardiac arrest really can make all the difference in saving someone’s life. It’s brilliant to see Essex & Herts Air Ambulance working to ensure all young people, in St Albans and across Hertfordshire, have the opportunity to develop this life-saving skill.

“A big thank you to the EHAAT team for hosting me and helping me practice my CPR skills! It really is something everyone can do, but all too often just don’t get the chance to learn.”

Interested schools should visit cprsmart.com. To ensure delivery remains free to schools Essex & Herts Air Ambulance relies on the support of individuals and businesses across Essex and Hertfordshire to cover the costs of staff, transport and equipment. To find out more or to donate, please visit ehaat.org