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The Council of the Isles of Scilly has called for more islanders to undertake basic first aid training, and the subject could even start being taught in the island’s schools.

At a recent meeting of the Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, it was revealed that in some medical emergencies, bystanders and witnesses often do more to save a person’s life than trained ambulance crews. The South Western Ambulance Service said that it is a national policy for ambulance crews not to start resuscitating a patient if they haven’t received basic life support in the ten minutes before the emergency services reaches the scene.
The Service’s Martyn Callow said:

“Joe Blogs is the one that will save someone’s life in the event of a heart attack, not the ambulance service.”

This surprising revelation led to a call from many councillors for more Scilly islanders to be taught basic first aid. The vice chair of the Council, Amanda Martin, even suggested that first aid training should be taught in schools as part of the curriculum, so that people start learning basic life-saving skills from a very early age.