A charity set up in memory of a teenager who collapsed and died while out jogging has urged people to support a call for CPR lessons in school.
Joe Humphries appeared to be fit and well before he collapsed near his home in Rothley, in October. The 14-year-old was the victim of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (Sads) – the adult version of cot death.
His family has since created the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust to promote awareness of the condition.
A Government consultation on the future of the national curriculum in schools in England comes to a close on Tuesday. The British Heart Foundation is leading a campaign for life-saving skills to be included as part of these reforms.
The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) wants people to support the call and take part in the consultation.
Joe's dad, Steve, chairman of the JHMT, said: "We feel every child should be taught CPR so they have the potential to save a life. The best way of achieving this aim is to have CPR taught in every school in England as part of the National Curriculum.
"Life-saving skills could be included within Citizenship or as part of PE lessons.
"If someone collapses you only have a few minutes to save a life, which means friends will need to know what to do.
"We need to create a collective response to life-saving emergencies. Everyone can play their part instead of hoping someone who may happen to be around and knows how to respond.
"Having vital life-saving skills can also empower children to make a life-saving contribution to their local communities in an emergency situation."
An inquest into Joe's death heard he might have been saved if he had been treated within minutes of being taken ill – the same kind of immediate treatment Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba received when he collapsed on the pitch last March.
The British Heart Foundation, along with Fabrice Muamba, recently handed in a petition to Downing Street, signed by more than 100,000 people calling for life-saving skills to be taught in all schools in England.
According to the charity, 86 per cent of teachers agree CPR skills should be on the curriculum, along with 78 per cent of children and 70 per cent of parents. Ian Leaver, assistant branch secretary for the Leicester National Union of Teachers, said he supported the introduction of CPR into the curriculum.
"CPR is a really useful life skill and it is easy to forget how important are things which are not conventional subjects."
Dr Ffion Davies, consultant in emergency medicine at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: "If CPR is started immediately, done effectively by a trained person and a defibrillator can then be got to the victim within minutes, the majority of cases could be saved without brain damage," she said. "Every minute lost without CPR reduces the survival rate by 10 per cent."
To take part in the consultation, visit:
www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/ campaigning/emergency-life-support-skills/curriculum- consultation.aspx
For more about JHMT, visit:
www.jhmt.org.uk/
