Portsmouth leaders roll out CPR training to kickstart save a life campaign

CPR training was delivered by health leaders at business park 1000 Lakeside as part of a new campaign to tackle the rising number of people dying from a cardiac arrest.

South Central Ambulance Service teamed up with Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt to teach people how to keep someone alive.

Medics used a dummy to explain how to give CPR; which involves placing two hands in the middle of the chest and pushing down firmly up to 120 times a minute.

Participants then got to give it a go.

The training session was an opportunity for people to see how a defibrillator works, a device which shocks the heart back into action after a cardiac arrest.

Scas has launched the ‘It’s Not Difficult’ campaign to raise awareness of how easy it is to give CPR and stop someone dying before an ambulance arrives and they have access to a defibrillator.

Dick Tracey, lead development manager for Scas community responders, said: ‘We want to put on these awareness courses for as many people as possible, so they have confidence to use a defibrillator and do CPR.

‘If we can give them that confidence, then many more lives can be saved.’

Ms Mordaunt said: ‘People will be very reassured how straightforward it is to give CPR.’

It comes after Waterlooville couple Janice Hill and her partner Toni Sinden, saved a man’s life using CPR while on holiday in Greece and spoke of the importance of people learning the vital technique.

The News launched its The Heartbeat campaign to raise awareness of using a defibrillator if someone has suffered a cardiac arrest.