Restart a Heart Day

Restart a Heart Day raises awareness of the actions to take if someone has a heart attacked.

Almost 80 Optical Express employees in Glasgow and Cumbernauld have been trained to perform life-saving CPR and been taught how to use a defibrillator.

The training is part of the global Restart a Heart Day initiative, which aims to improve the low numbers of people surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Research has shown that almost a third (30%) of adults are unlikely to perform CPR if they saw someone suffer a cardiac arrest.

Led by the Resuscitation Council, in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross and St John Ambulance, the initiative encourages organisations to raise public awareness of cardiac arrests and increase the number of people trained in life-saving CPR. Now in its sixth year, the aim is to see over 200,000 people trained in life saving CPR across the UK.

Optical Express employees were given information on using a defibrillator and practised CPR on a specialist dummy during training sessions in Glasgow and Cumbernauld. Along with equipping them with lifesaving skills, the sessions were designed to help give staff the confidence to take action should they need to.