Rutland and Stamford Ambulance Service says CPR "can't make things worse" ahead of Restart a Heart Day
They're urging people not to hold back if someone needs help
People in Rutland are being encouraged to learn CPR, as part of a national campaign to improve survival rates for people who suffer a cardiac arrest.
It comes as Restart a Heart Day takes place, an annual initiative led by Resuscitation Council UK which aims to increase survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by helping more people learn CPR.
James Astles, Clinical Improvement Manager for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), has urged people not to be put off from stepping in to help someone having a cardiac arrest.
"Learning CPR can be something that takes as little as five minutes, but could ultimately end up saving a life," James Astles said.
"We want to make sure that people, the public know that you can't get this wrong, you're not going to hurt a person."
"Anything is better than nothing. We would rather you have a go with CPR in those early minutes, make a massive difference to their chance of survival."
"At the moment, less than one in 10 people who suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospitals survive."
"So it's really important that we start CPR as soon as possible after you can't make the situation any worse."
"The person is in cardiac arrest, so give it a go. You are not going to hurt this patient."
"You are going to give them a chance at going home to their families. We have loads of stories here in the East Midlands where bystanders have got involved and ultimately save that patient."
James Astles said it was impossible to predict when CPR might be needed.
"So it's really vital and you never know, it could be it's going to happen, it could happen anywhere, and it could be one of your family members," he said.
His work focuses on the whole "Chain of Survival", including increasing the frequency and quality of bystander CPR, improving access to Community Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs), and strengthening support for people who step forward to help during a cardiac arrest.