P-05-1105 Make Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Compulsory in Schools

This petition was submitted by Matthew James Copp having collected a total of 1,170 signatures.

Text of Petition:

It was announced last year that CPR would not be part of the national curriculum in Wales. This is different from England and Scotland, where CPR is being made compulsory in schools. While Kirsty Williams has stated that there is nothing stopping schools from teaching CPR, the Welsh Parliment will not enforce this. We are worried that this will lead to some schools not providing access to learn the life saving procedure, leading to an increased death rate from cardiac arrests in Wales.

Additional Information:

Early identification of a cardiac arrest and early CPR have been well documented to improve survival rates following a cardiac arrest. (1) However, public hesitancy has been noted as an issue. (2) The key reason for this was fear of “causing additional injuries with lack of appropriate skills”. Additionally, it was found that the likelihood of someone receiving CPR was influenced by the cardiac arrest victim’s age and gender.

These are issues that cannot be addressed and combatted unless there is adequate training across ALL Welsh schools, and we hope that the Welsh Parliament take appropriate action to support its citizens.

1. Ibrahim W. Recent advances and controversies in adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2007;83(984):649-654.

2. Becker T, Gul S, Cohen S, Maciel C, Baron-Lee J, Murphy T et al. Public perception towards bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2019;36(11):660-665.

Senedd Constituency and Region

· Gower

· South Wales West