Hansard

I warmly congratulate Jenni Minto on bringing this vitally important debate to the chamber, and on the tone that she has set with her very moving speech.

We all have our part to play on this issue. I actually witnessed the life-saving capacity of rural defibrillators when one member of my constituency staff suffered a cardiac arrest in a rural part of Perthshire. I have no doubt whatsoever that if the village had not had a defibrillator to hand, that colleague would not have survived. The office that Murdo Fraser and I share is part of the building for the Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance team, and I know just how much they appreciate all the work that is done.

Now more than ever, we are so aware of what our healthcare services do for us, and of just how precious the principles of the national health service are, given that it meets the needs of everyone on the basis of clinical need. We are also so aware of the work that the exceptional NHS staff undertake; we must also include in that the work of all those who look after our rapid-response ambulance teams and all those who are involved in campaigning for defibrillators. In addition, it is important to compliment, as Christine Grahame did, the members of our local communities who are so much a part of this very important campaign.

Every year, more than 3,000 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but if you are one of those 3,000 and you live in a rural area, you are 32 per cent less likely to survive than others. People from more deprived areas are 60 per cent less likely to survive to be discharged than those from less deprived areas. There is a responsibility on us all to ensure that no matter where people are, we are able to respond to any out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

It is good to hear that, in the past five years, the Save A Life for Scotland partnership has equipped more than 640,000 people with the necessary skills for resuscitation. It is vital that we continue to train people on how to react, but we also need to ensure that defibrillator equipment is readily available and, just as importantly, that it is properly maintained. As Christine Grahame and Jenni Minto flagged up, information on where defibrillators are located is crucial. I whole-heartedly support the provision of more defibrillators, and I was delighted to hear that, in November, the Rattray community became the latest in the Perth and Kinross area to install a new defibrillator.

However, there are challenges, such as to ensure that the yearly monitoring, which is so important, actually happens, that parts-replacement costs can be met, that the location of the devices can be made more consistent, and that we can support our local communities. We know that in Wales, the Government has pledged £3 million to improve public access to defibrillators. As Jenni Minto rightly pointed out, we in Scotland could do a little more to ensure that there is further outreach.

In 2015, only around one in 20 people survived an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Thankfully, that statistic is now a little better—it is one in 10—but the survival rate is still too low. I therefore welcome the progress that we have made, the increased chance of survival and the continued installations of defibrillator equipment across the entirety of Scotland. However, we still have a long way to go to ensure that people’s lives are fully protected. We need not just to ensure that clinical assistance is provided, but to take responsibility and ensure that our local communities are very well prepared and know exactly what to do. As MSPs, we all have a part to play in helping that process. I warmly thank Jenni Minto once again for the debate, and I will do my part to ensure that we give that support.