Over the past five years there has been an increase in the number of reported cardiac arrests out of hospital. One of these included my son, Jayden, who was 10. He suffered a cardiac arrest while ice skating and tragically passed away a short time later. There was a defibrillator at the ice rink, but it was not ready to be used and no one had been trained on how to use it.
PADs have an excellent safety record and low upkeep costs, and give a significant life-saving advantage in an emergency situation. I have been going into schools and showing kids how to do basic CPR and also how to use a PAD in an emergency. While conducting this work, I have realised that placing PADs in schools is great and showing the kids how to use them is vital. However, it has become clear to me that PADs are needed not just in schools but in a wide variety of different settings, especially in areas with significant footfall, across Scotland. I would like to see this addressed by the Scottish Government, rather than relying on the public to raise funds and awareness.
It is time to treat cardiac arrests the same way we treat fires, and put in place measures which can save lives in a comprehensive "blanket" manner across the country. I would like to see legislation brought forward which makes it mandatory for all "large footprint" buildings, which likely have a high number of workers and visitors in the vicinity, to be equipped with a PAD in case of emergency. Building owners, factors or tenants would be responsible for the upkeep of PADs by agreement.
There is also an issue with PADs not being registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service. If a PAD is not registered, the 999 call handler is unable to direct a caller to the nearest available PAD, which could be just around the corner. I have been campaigning with my local newspaper and Stuart McMillan MSP to raise awareness of the importance of registering a PAD.