Resuscitation Council (UK) encourages all to carry out CPR and defibrillation on cardiac arrest patients

All members of the public should be encouraged to use an AED (automated external defibrillator) - a machine that may restart the heart - on cardiac arrest patients, according to the UK body that sets the guidance, Resuscitation Council (UK).

Resuscitation Council (UK) says an estimated 30,000 people each year suffer cardiac arrest outside of hospital in the UK
Only one third of those receive CPR from a bystander
Research shows that a patient's chance of survival is doubled if CPR is performed.

For each minute that passes without defibrillation after the heart stops, the chances of survival fall by about 7-10%.

As people spend a high proportion of their lives at work, St John Ambulance strongly urges employers to make sure that an appropriate number of employees are trained in first aid and CPR and that an AED unit is kept within two minutes' reach of all employees.

Besides stocking a wide range of leading AED units and accessories
St John Ambulance provides free AED and CPR training for 2 people with every AED purchased. This is in the form of either a free place on one of our scheduled AED courses or the equivalent discount for training a group of people on your premises.

Find out more about purchasing an AED or call 020 7278 7888
Find out more about AED training or call 08700 10 49 50