New research shows that four in 10 people in the UK have a family member or friend who has experienced a cardiac arrest, or have experienced one themselves. Yet it also reveals fewer than three in 10 people would be confident in knowing how to do CPR in an emergency[1].
The YouGov survey of over 2000 people across the UK also found that only 38% of adults are confident there is a defibrillator in their local area and know where it is.
Cardiac arrest – where the heart stops beating – is a medical emergency that affects more than 30,000 people in the community every year. Sadly, more than 9 in 10 people die[2].
Giving CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and defibrillation can save a life during cardiac arrest, but fast action is vital. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chances of survival by up to 10%[3]. Being able to spot the signs and act quickly, by calling for helping and giving CPR, is crucial.
The money raised from our partnership with Omaze will enable more volunteer community first responders and members of the public to receive training in basic life-saving skills, as well as provide provide more defibrillators in rural communities, to help save more lives.
Rowan Hibbert was 20 months old when he choked on a carrot and went into cardiac arrest. His life was saved thanks to fast action by Community First Responder Tomos Hughes, paramedics and the ambulance service. Seven years on, Tomos is still close to the family and Rowan knows him as the man who saved his life.
Tomos, who has been awarded a BEM for his work with the Welsh Ambulance Service for installing many defibrillators quickly in North Wales, said:
“I volunteer as a Community First Responder to help the community because, in the early stages of a cardiac arrest, you’ve only got minutes.
“Little Rowan’s story is one that always stays with me. I arrived within 10 minutes of him choking and was able to start CPR and restart his heart which saved his life. The deafening silence when I arrived at his house filled me with dread. As a community first responder, you must remain calm and do everything in your power to save that life and reassure the family. Without my fast action or the subsequent help from the other services, he wouldn’t be alive, but thanks to the training I received I was able to save Rowan’s life.”
Thanks to the funds raised by Omaze’s London House Draw, we will be able to help ambulance service charities equip communities with the skills and equipment to save lives.
NHS Charities Together CEO, Ellie Orton OBE:
“We’re so grateful to every person who has entered the Omaze draw so far or will enter during this final week. The campaign will raise vital funds and awareness, enabling us to provide training, volunteers and equipment. This extra support will help ambulance services, who are under increasing pressure as we head into the tough winter months. We know healthcare services are most effective when community services, volunteers and hospitals work together.
“Sadly I lost my own father to cardiac arrest, and often wonder if things could have been different, had volunteers or community first responders who knew how to do CPR been nearby.
“This survey suggests that still fewer than three in 10 people in the UK might know how to or are confident to deliver CPR. So there’s more work to do here, as when it’s administered correctly it can make the difference between someone living and someone dying.
“The money donated to us from the Omaze Million Pound House Draw is just the start of a larger programme to provide volunteers with training and new equipment to help more people survive if they have a cardiac arrest in the community, particularly in rural areas where people have less access to support because emergency resources are sparse.”
You can enter the Omaze Million Pound House Draw to win the London town house by visiting omaze.co.uk. The draw closes on Sunday 26 November for online entries and Tuesday 28 November for postal entries.
For advice on CPR and how to locate your closest defibrillator, click here.
[1] The YouGov survey was commissioned by NHS Charities Together in November 2023. 2100 adults in the UK took part and answered a range of questions. Key findings include:
- four in 10 people in the UK have a family member (28%) or friend (7%) who has experienced a cardiac arrest or have themselves (3%) experienced one
- fewer than three in 10 people in the UK would be confident in knowing how to do CPR in an emergency (28%)
- 38% of adults in the UK are confident there is a defibrillator in their local area and know where it is.
