National programme overview
Sudden cardiac arrest remains one of the leading causes of death in the UK — and survival depends on swift, coordinated action across the health and care system. The Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Programme brings together national expertise, frontline innovation, and public engagement to improve outcomes and save lives.
Led by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), with generous support from NHS Charities Together, the programme supports consistent, evidence-informed approaches to cardiac arrest response, recovery, and prevention across the UK’s ambulance services and wider health system.
The programme is focused on building community resilience, enhancing bystander action, reducing inequalities and building support mechanisms for those involved in resuscitations.
Why it matters
Every minute counts during a cardiac arrest. Survival is highest when immediate CPR and defibrillation are provided — ideally within the first 3–5 minutes.
The OHCA programme exists to:
- Increase bystander intervention rates
- Improve early equitable access to defibrillation
- Strengthen coordinated care and data collection
- Support survivor and bystander recovery pathways
- Align NHS and ambulance sector best practice and reporting
AACE’s national lead: Liam Sagi
The OHCA programme is led nationally by Liam Sagi, whose background spans clinical practice, service transformation, and systems leadership in urgent and emergency care. With over a decade’s experience in healthcare improvement, Liam has worked across ambulance services, integrated care systems and frontline clinical settings.
He is committed to enhancing cardiac arrest survival through multi-agency collaboration, public awareness, and data-led innovation.
Who’s involved?
The programme works across:
- UK ambulance trusts
- Resuscitation and cardiac arrest organisations
- Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector
- Emergency responder networks
- Community, youth united organisations and schools
- Cardiac arrest charities
Resources and campaigns
AACE also supports a range of impactful initiatives and materials:
- Restart a Heart Week – national campaign promoting CPR training and public awareness
- Restart a Heart Live – watch coverage and educational sessions from Restart a Heart Live
- The Circuit – UK National Defibrillator Network – a vital tool for locating defibrillators and supporting rapid intervention
- GoodSAM App – technology linking trained responders to nearby cardiac arrests
- OHCAO – the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes registry and Annual Epidemiology and Outcomes
- Support after cardiac arrest | Resuscitation Council UK
- OHCA & Health Inequalities report
Further information
To learn more about the programme, access further resources, or get directly involved, contact us via info@aace.org.uk
AACE is grateful for funding from NHS Charities Together which enables us to deliver this important workstream.
