Hansard

I start by welcoming Stuart Callison and Helen Forrest of St Andrew’s First Aid to the gallery, and by thanking the charity for the essential work that it does throughout Scotland to raise awareness of first aid.

St Andrew’s First Aid has provided access to the highest standards in first aid training and services in Scotland for more than 100 years. From its creation in 1882, St Andrew’s has been a principal figure in championing first aid and is without doubt Scotland’s leading first aid charity. St Andrew’s achievements include providing Scotland with its first ambulance service in April 1882; publishing Dr George T Beaton’s “Ambulance Hand-Book” in 1891 to make first aid teaching more uniform; establishing permanent headquarters in Glasgow in 1929, due to the growth of the organisation; and playing an active role in the war efforts during both world wars. I should put on record that all those things are history for me, as I was not there for any of them. During the first world war, St Andrew’s staffed all Scotland’s military hospitals and during the second world war it provided staff for the civil nursing reserve, transportation services for air-raid casualties and first aid training for school children.

Currently, St Andrew’s provides first aid training to more than 20,000 people per year in Scotland’s workplaces and communities, where it offers a range of courses for every need. Its volunteers deliver first aid services at numerous events throughout Scotland, from local community gatherings to Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League—now the Scottish Professional Football League—matches as well as at T in the park. Additionally, St Andrew’s emphasises youth development through its badgers and cadets programmes, which encourage interest in first aid and provide Scotland’s youth with the opportunity to develop skills in first aid and related subjects.

The organisation’s successes can be seen in the stories of its volunteers who have been able to save lives, as well as those who have gained valuable life skills. For example, when St Andrew’s first aid volunteer Tracy Jones was on holiday with her three children, she saved the life of a 19-month old baby who had gone missing and was found floating face down in a pond. The baby had stopped breathing and her parents did not know what to do, but Tracy successfully administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation and saved the wee girl’s life. In such emergencies, people tend to panic or freeze when they are unaware of what to do, so having even basic first aid skills can become a matter of life or death. Tracy was able to keep a level head as she used the skills that she had learned during her first aid course. Her heroic actions deserve the utmost praise. The training that St Andrew’s offers allows individuals to acquire not only the skills that can potentially save a life but the confidence that is needed to take charge of the situation, as Tracy did admirably.

During last year’s St Andrew’s First Aid debate, I mentioned that I wanted to gain first aid skills myself. I had the opportunity to do so in a basic tester class at the campaign launch for Scottish first aid week. There I had the pleasure to train alongside Clyde 1 disc jockey Knoxy—clearly, from his smile and nodding head, Bob Doris knows who Knoxy is—and several St Andrew’s volunteers. The volunteers included Emma Nicholson, who was winner of the youth first aider of the year competition in 2012, and Callum Derrick, who has been nominated for this year’s award. Even with the short amount of training that I received, I now feel much more prepared to address any emergency situation that I might face.

I was extremely delighted to see the level of support for the campaign as well as to hear of Emma’s and Callum’s achievements with St Andrew’s First Aid. Callum, who is now 17, has been involved with first aid since he was 10 and he encourages whomever he can—especially young children—also to gain the skills. He plans to continue volunteering with St. Andrew’s First Aid as he pursues his ultimate goal of joining the Royal Air Force.

Emma has been associated with St. Andrew’s since she was 14 and has completed both the cadet program and the standard first aid course. She has volunteered at events in Glasgow and has recruited other cadets. She plans to apply the skills that she is learning in her future career—she plans to be a teacher. It was inspiring and a pleasure to meet those young volunteers and to see how they are gaining valuable life skills from being involved with first aid. The courses and opportunities provide Scotland with dedicated individuals like Emma and Callum, who are equipped to respond to any crisis or emergency in their communities.

The skills can be learned at any age, by young children or adults, as I proved at that taster session. Therefore, it is concerning that, in spite of the high-quality training that is available throughout Scotland, fewer than one in four Scots has basic first aid skills. Even more worrying are the facts that 45 per cent of parents would not know what to do if their child was choking and that only 8 per cent of adult Scots have completed a child-related first aid course in the past three years. YouGov research that was commissioned by St Andrew’s First Aid found that parents’ greatest fear is of their child sustaining a head injury, followed by choking then drowning then burns. First aid intervention, even while waiting for emergency services, would be invaluable should any of those things occur. As a father and grandfather, I understand how helpless a parent would feel in an emergency if they were unable to deliver potentially life-saving first aid to their own child and how imperative it is to learn the techniques. The statistics are reason enough to do so.

It is extremely important that we each, individually, take the initiative to gain first aid skills and that we encourage others to do so. I recognise the vital work that St Andrew’s First Aid does to ensure that more Scots gain first aid knowledge. Scottish first aid week, which started on 24 November and runs until Saturday, is dedicated to promoting first aid awareness. This year, the charity is focusing on a Scotland-wide campaign called “First aid? Count me in”. The campaign will target the public, voluntary and private sectors and aims to increase awareness of the fact that basic first aid skills save lives.

The count me in pledge states:

“No one should die because they needed First Aid and didn’t get it.”

The campaign’s objective is to receive at least 34,000 signatures, which is a significant goal; it is equivalent to the number of Scots who are admitted to hospital each year as a result of burns, falls and choking. That number is even more serious given that 77 per cent of Scots lack the knowledge and confidence to administer basic first aid, so they immediately call 999. That high number of yearly accidents creates an excessive strain on national health service hospital and emergency services. That strain could be prevented because they are injuries to which first aid can make all the difference. Even a few minutes of administering first aid before paramedics arrive can have a significant impact, from decreasing the extent of the injury to ensuring that the injured person does not require any further medical attention or hospital admission. I am determined to help St Andrew’s First Aid to raise awareness of the campaign in order to make certain that more people throughout Scotland become better equipped to address such emergencies.

I take the chance, during first aid week, to stress how important it is for Scots to take the various opportunities that they have to gain basic training. First aid is not a skill that will go to waste and it can be called on when one least expects it. I strongly encourage folk to do as much as they can during and after first aid week to increase their knowledge of the subject, from signing the St Andrew’s count me in campaign or accessing online resources about first aid facts to signing up for and participating in a training course.

First aid week concludes on Saturday with the Scottish first aid awards—one of the highlights of the week—which will be held in Edinburgh. The awards will recognize and celebrate individuals, volunteers and businesses who have played an active role in championing first aid. It is important to celebrate those role models, because they create awareness and provide our society with examples of how everyday people can make a difference and save lives, encouraging each of us to be more proactive in learning and improving our first aid skills. As I mentioned, the count me in pledge states:

“No one should die because they needed First Aid and didn’t get it.”

I emphasise how valuable it is for our society to have individuals who can administer basic first aid and prevent the latter half of that statement from becoming a reality.

I thank St Andrew’s First Aid for the high-quality services, training and opportunities that it is providing throughout Scotland as it pursues its goal to promote first aid. I am pleased to have brought the debate to the Scottish Parliament and hope that Scottish first aid week continues to be a success and encourages more Scots to learn life-saving skills that create safer schools, workplaces and communities.