Minutes:
The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Cllr David Chambers, Cllr Linda Robinson, Cllr Bob Brookes, Cllr Adrian Kriss, Cllr Peter Griffiths, Cllr Mike Rouse, Cllr Matt Dormer, Cllr Karen May, Cllr Shirley Webb, Cllr Kyle Daisley, Cllr Alistair Adams, Cllr Marcus Hart, Cllr James Stanley, Cllr Allah Ditta, Cllr Craig Warhurst, Cllr Alan Amos, and Cllr Steve Mackay.
The motion was moved by Cllr David Chambers and seconded by Cllr Linda Robinson who both spoke in favour of it.
The following amendment was moved by Cllr Luke Mallett and seconded by Cllr Richard Udall:
“This Council recognises and values the work undertaken by various bodies to promote CPR Training throughout Worcestershire and the resulting outcomes in saving the lives of many people of all ages.
This Council resolves to call upon the relevant Cabinet Members with Responsibility to work with relevant agencies and partners and our own officers to support and encourage all schools in Worcestershire with year 7 and above, to offer CPR training programmes in their areas.
Council recognises the involvement of members in supporting local CPR training initiatives, providing equipment, such as defibrillators and resuscitation dolls and, indeed, pump prime funding volunteer community first response schemes, via the Divisional Fund.
Council asks the Cabinet Member with Responsibility to work with partners to audit the availability of CPR training and defibrillators across the County and to bring a report back to Cabinet as to how funding could be provided to help us save more Worcestershire lives from being cut short.
The Council requests the relevant Cabinet Members with Responsibility update Members following the conclusion of this work.”
The mover and seconder of the motion accepted the amendment. Members spoke in favour of the amendment with the following points being made:
· If all cardiac arrests took place in hospitals then the survival rate would be much higher. Of the 30k cardiac arrests that took place out of hospital (often at home), only 10% of patients survived. If a defibrillator was not available then the practice of CPR was the next best option to treat a cardiac arrest. A mass CPR training programme across the county would be welcomed. Initially, CPR training should be introduced in schools to all students in year 7 and above. The public might feel anxious about undertaking CPR believing that the patient was being hurt but doing nothing was far worse
· If this country adopted a joined-up approach to life saving as had been adopted by countries such as Norway, Sweden and New Zealand, 5k lives could be saved every year. Effective CPR nearly doubled the survival rate of patients. All councillors had a role in encouraging town and parish councils to offer their support for the programme of training. The training programme could also be offered to all Council officers and members
· The British Heart Foundation had indicated that just 22% of the population would be confident enough to use a defibrillator. CPR training therefore needed to be made compulsory in the school curriculum to ensure that knowledge was retained and shared. Councillors had a role to play in spreading the word through for example social media
· The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Education commented that as the Council did not set the curriculum and many schools were academies, it was not possible to enforce the addition of CPR training to the curriculum. However, she would liaise with headteachers through school visits, headteacher briefings and the Worcestershire Schools Forum meetings to get the message across. Under DfE guidance, there was an expectation that pupils should be taught how to treat common injuries and undertake life-saving skills including CPR and defibrillator use. In response to a survey,18 of 49 schools had indicated that they did provide CPR training and 8 would be commencing this year. Those schools that had not responded to the survey would be chased up. It was also important to teach people to remain calm in the event of an emergency. She would report back on training opportunities for staff
· There was an opportunity for the Council to act in a more strategic way not only in relation to CPR training but also in respect of defibrillator use and community first response. This strategic approach should start with an audit of the actions already being undertaken and understanding where gaps in provision existed and where additional funding could be deployed if needed
· CPR gave patients a chance of survival until the emergency services arrived or early defibrillation was exercised
· It was important that the public were made aware of the locality of the nearest defibrillator
· The voluntary organisations that undertook CPR training were thanked for their efforts
· The only concern relating to the amendment to the motion was understanding the cost of the proposed audit work
· The pressures being placed on schools should be borne in mind and any time, money or training that could assist schools in the provision of training would be welcomed
· Consideration should be given to the role of the fire brigade in implementing the motion, for example at an accident scene.
On being put to a vote, the amendment was carried and put as the substantive motion which was agreed unanimously.
RESOLVED “This Council recognises and values the work undertaken by various bodies to promote CPR Training throughout Worcestershire and the resulting outcomes in saving the lives of many people of all ages.
This Council resolves to call upon the relevant Cabinet Members with Responsibility to work with relevant agencies and partners and our own officers to support and encourage all schools in Worcestershire with year 7 and above, to offer CPR training programmes in their areas.
Council recognises the involvement of members in supporting local CPR training initiatives, providing equipment, such as defibrillators and resuscitation dolls and, indeed, pump prime funding volunteer community first response schemes, via the Divisional Fund.
Council asks the Cabinet Member with Responsibility to work with partners to audit the availability of CPR training and defibrillators across the County and to bring a report back to Cabinet as to how funding could be provided to help us save more Worcestershire lives from being cut short.
The Council requests the relevant Cabinet Members with Responsibility update Members following the conclusion of this work.”