Picture: Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charity has funded Yorkshire Ambulance Service, providing female manikins during CPR training sessions.
YAS said: “By introducing female manikins to our CPR training sessions, we aim to increase awareness and remove the stigma,
“…enabling people to feel comfortable to act in the first vital moments following a cardiac arrest when every second counts.
“Over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital in the UK every year. The earlier a patient can receive CPR and a shock from a defibrillator, the greater their chance of survival.”
The manikins were used last week on ‘Restart a Heart Day’, where ‘over 800 off-duty YAS staff and volunteers visited more than 160 secondary schools across the region to train 35,000 students in CPR.’
The manikins will be used wider, through the Trust’s Community Engagement team and volunteers during CPR training sessions.
Community Engagement Officer Sasha Bipin said: “In my work with a range of diverse groups, including some that are predominantly male, I am often asked whether performing CPR on a woman differs from performing CPR on a man.
“Having a female manikin helps to address these concerns, build confidence and ensure participants feel better prepared to provide lifesaving support to anyone who needs it.”
Head of YAS Charity Carey Taylor added: “It’s a very sad fact that women are less likely to receive bystander CPR and defibrillation than men.
“By funding the provision of female manikins during training sessions, the YAS Charity aims to change perceptions and give people the reassurance to know that acting fast is the right thing to do to save a life regardless of gender.”
Research published by St John’s Ambulance last week, found a third of British males and females are afraid to give CPR to a woman because they are worried about touching breasts.
Jordan Davison, community experience manager at St John Ambulance commented, “Regardless of gender, when it comes to CPR, every ‘body’ is the same,
“The technique is the same and everyone deserves the best possible chance of survival.”