Penny Mordaunt MP calls for constituents to get cardiac arrest ready

Penny Mordaunt MP is urging constituents in Portsmouth North to get prepared now so they would know what to do if faced with a cardiac arrest. This comes as St John Ambulance’s latest research shows more than half of Britons1 (53%) have no idea where their nearest life saving equipment is, despite the fact that up to seven out of 10 people who suffer a cardiac arrest could survive if they are treated with a defibrillator inside the first five minutes.

Penny Mordaunt MP is showing their support for the nation’s leading first aid charity’s call for the nation to get prepared in the event of cardiac arrest.

The new statistics also found that 61% wouldn’t know what to do if faced with a cardiac arrest; and while 81% know what a defibrillator does, 70% of people would not feel confident using one, plus an astonishing 62% wrongly believe it would cause harm to a patient.

Penny Mordaunt MP for Portsmouth North said:

‘It is worrying to hear that despite the staggering differences in survival rates when a defibrillator is used, people still don’t know where their nearest one is or have the confidence to use it. We support St John Ambulance’s call for the nation to get prepared in the event of a cardiac arrest.’

James Radford, Director at St John Ambulance, said: ‘Our research shows that while most people have some awareness of defibrillators, we still have a long way to go in educating people about what they need to do in a cardiac emergency.

‘Home is where the heart is; it’s also where the majority of cardiac arrests happen, outside of hospital, which means it’s more likely to be our friends, family – or even ourselves – who need first aid in this life or death moment.

'None of us want to find ourselves in a situation where we couldn’t save a loved one’s life, any more than we’d want them to stand by helpless if we suffered a cardiac arrest.’

‘That’s why we are urging everybody to learn the four simple steps of C.A.R.E today; so that if the worst happens tomorrow, we can all act quickly and confidently, especially when every second counts.’

Visit www.sja.org.uk/care to learn the steps of C.A.R.E.