Saved by the bell! Thousands of Amazon delivery drivers will be taught CPR to slash the number of Britons dying of cardiac arrest
- British Heart Foundation training Amazon drivers and ones from 100 other firms
- Organisation has already trained Amazon instructors who will pass on their skills
- Every year in the UK there are 30,000 cardiac arrests outside of hospital
Amazon delivery drivers will be taught CPR so they can help cut deaths from cardiac arrests.
The British Heart Foundation is working in partnership with Amazon and more than 100 other delivery companies across the UK to offer the free training to thousands of drivers.
The organisation has already trained some Amazon staff in CPR who will now pass on their new skills to drivers in 30-minute training sessions.
Every year in the UK, there are more than 30,000 cardiac arrests outside of hospital. The survival rate is less than one in ten.
In some instances, CPR can more than double a person’s chances of survival, the BHF said.
Fewer than one in 10 people in the UK survive a cardiac arrest if they’re not already in a hospital because not enough people know CPR, experts say, whereas in Norway – where children are taught it at school – around a quarter of people survive
The BHF’s director of healthcare innovation, Jacob West, said: ‘CPR is a lifesaving skill that only takes 30 minutes to learn.
‘Unfortunately, in the UK there are far too many people dying of a cardiac arrest, often because people don’t have the skills or confidence to perform CPR.
‘It’s vital that CPR training reaches as many people as possible.
‘Drivers deliver Amazon orders to millions of people across the UK every year. This unique partnership will mean we put potential lifesavers on to every street in the UK.
‘A cardiac arrest can happen anywhere to anyone, but more lives can be saved thanks to Amazon’s commitment to training drivers of more than 100 independent delivery companies.’
Amazon’s Kerry-Anne Lawlor said: ‘We regularly see examples where drivers delivering Amazon parcels for our delivery service partners act selflessly when out on their routes to help others.
‘We are delighted to work with the British Heart Foundation to be able to offer drivers lifesaving CPR training to respond in emergency situations.’
A previous study by University of Warwick researchers on behalf of the BHF found that almost one in three people would not perform CPR on a person in need.
They found that only 70 per cent of people said they would try to resuscitate someone if they saw them collapse.
And not everyone would call an ambulance if someone passed out and stopped breathing – four per cent of people said they weren’t likely to phone 999 in that situation.
They warned people’s lives are being put at risk because not enough Brits know how to do CPR, but say ‘doing something to help is always better than doing nothing’.
‘You may not feel confident performing CPR if you haven’t been trained or you don’t remember your training, but without your early action the chances someone will survive a cardiac arrest are virtually zero,’ said BHF chief executive Simon Gillespie.
A defibrillator can also restart the heart. The machines are found in public places such as offices.
For every minute that passes without CPR or defibrillation, the chance of survival reduces by up to 10 per cent.
The survival figures are damning when compared to Norway, where children learn CPR at school and as many as a quarter survive.