This year’s International Restart a Heart Day will be held on 16 October 2019.
Restart a Heart Day is a global initiative developed by the European Resuscitation Council, launched in 2013, to raise awareness of the importance of teaching members of the public how to help restart the heart of someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest.
Over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital in the UK every year. Currently, less than one in 10 survive. The earlier a patient can receive CPR and a shock from a defibrillator, the greater their chance of survival.
Bystander CPR increases survival by two to three times; however, it is only delivered in one in five incidents. If we achieved the same survival rates as countries like Norway (25%) – an additional 100 lives could be saved every week, the equivalent of approximately 5,000 every year. We know that the major difference is widespread training in CPR.
That’s why we really hope you can organise an event to support Restart a Heart Day 2019 on or around 16 October 2019.Organisations, schools and communities that want to take part this year can find more information here.
You will need a space to hold the event, and mannequins for people to practice on. Kits containing a set of mannequins and an instructional DVD can be purchased from the British Heart Foundation or if you are a secondary school, you can apply for a free kit from them.
If you don’t have access to CPR mannequins, your local ambulance service or other health practitioners may be able to lend you some so that you can take part, and even support you on the day with getting hands on experience in CPR.
Follow the campaign and the day on Twitter via #restartaheart and #worldrestartaheart
Register here today, and together we can create a nation of lifesavers.
