News stories

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) will be hosting an event on Friday 14 October 2022 for members of the public and staff to learn vital lifesaving skills as part of European Restart a Heart Day.

The Trust’s Resuscitation Team will be available at both the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and Heartlands Hospital, to provide a range of activities, including how to know if someone is in cardiac arrest, and how to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

On the day, both members of the public and staff will have the opportunity to learn the essential skills needed to save a life through the interactive video training tool, Lifesaver, which throws participants into action-packed scenarios and requires them to make crucial decisions.

In addition, there will be demonstrations of automated external defibrillators (AED), which are often available in public places, and advice on general life saving skills, such as choking interventions, will be offered.

A raffle has also been organised to raise money for University Hospitals Birmingham Charity. On the day, raffle tickets will be sold at £1 per ticket, with a range of prizes on offer, including dining out vouchers, cook books, clothing, safari park tickets and pamper vouchers.

Whether someone has learnt CPR before, or this is their first time, this day is an opportunity to learn how CPR guidance has changed during COVID-19 and gain the skills to be able to help someone if they were to collapse and stop breathing normally.

Michelle Hall, Lead Resuscitation Officer at UHB said: “We are really looking forward to Restart a Heart Day.

“Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been unable to host this event for the last few years, so we are really excited for its return this year.

“Providing people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to stay calm in an emergency and help a person in need is so important, because you never know when you might be in that situation.

This event is a great opportunity to meet patients, staff and the public and show them how to recognise cardiac arrest, summon help, start CPR and use an AED.”

Restart a Heart Day is a designated day of action across Europe with the aim to teach vital lifesaving CPR skills to as many people as possible.

In 2019, the Restart a Heart campaign saw 291,000 people trained in life-saving CPR. This year promises to be even bigger due to the introduction of new CPR training tools nationwide.