Sadiq Khan encourages all Londoners to learn CPR and defibrillation skills

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, became the latest Londoner to learn essential life-saving skills today (4 October) as he signed up to London Ambulance Service’s (LAS) mission to train 100,000 London Lifesavers.

Community Resuscitation Trainer Victoria Geary and Community Defibrillation Manager Samantha Wilcox visited City Hall and provided a two-and-a-half hour training session on Emergency Life Support for the Mayor and his colleagues. During the training, Mr Khan was taught how to recognise symptoms of cardiac arrest, put an unconscious patient in the recovery position, perform Basic Life Support (BLS), and use a defibrillator.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London Ambulance Service work around the clock to save lives and are there for Londoners when they need it most – but we know that when anyone has a serious health issue every second counts.

“Doing simple lifesaver training, like I have done today, gives you the confidence to do CPR and use a defibrillator and this knowledge could literally save lives – including that of a friend or a loved one. I encourage Londoners to sign up to be a Lifesaver so that you have the confidence and training to be able to help when it truly matters.”

The mayoral training session is part of a much wider London Lifesavers initiative, which was launched by London Ambulance Service in September 2021. The campaign aims to improve people’s chances of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by equipping at least 100,000 Londoners with the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency situation until ambulance crews arrive at the scene.

Over the past six months, the London Lifesavers initiative has trained and registered almost 2,000 new lifesavers, who are now equipped with basic resuscitation skills. LAS plans to scale up the London Lifesavers campaign further in the coming months.

The initiative also aims to achieve a target of 10,000 public access defibrillators (PADs) available to save lives across the capital. Over the past year, LAS has supported the installation of 1,000 new PADs across London, bringing the current total to 7,500.

The latest achievements in the London Lifesavers campaign come as LAS responded to 9,500 cardiac arrests since the start of this calendar year (2022). LAS estimates that by reaching its target of 100,000 London Lifesavers and more than 10,000 defibrillators across the city it could help save more than 100 additional lives every year.

LAS Community Defibrillation Manager Samantha Wilcox said: “I’d like to thank the Mayor of London for taking part in this training today, and encourage the citizens of London to follow his footsteps and learn these life-saving skills.

“We know from experience that in the few minutes it takes for an ambulance crew to reach a person in cardiac arrest, the actions of passers-by can make the difference between life and death for that person. For every minute that goes by without life-saving intervention like CPR and defibrillation, the chances of a person surviving cardiac arrest decrease by 10%.

“There are several ways that organisations, workplaces, communities and individuals can get involved. We advise contacting our London Lifesavers team for information on how to join our campaign.”

The London Lifesavers initiative is funded by the London Ambulance Charity thanks to a grant received by NHS Charities Together and the support of our donors.

To register to become a London Lifesaver please contact: [email protected].