Hansard

I thank Jenni Minto for bringing her important motion to the chamber for debate. She gave a lovely speech.

The debate allows us to consider and connect two important elements: the life-saving technology that we are lucky to have available to us and the community that brings it to our doors to ensure that, whenever possible, lives are saved.

We have heard a bit about cardiac arrest from members who have spoken before me. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs suddenly and often without warning. It is the abrupt loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness. We need to understand and remind ourselves that death occurs within minutes if the victim does not receive treatment. Therefore, it is important that we raise understanding and awareness of the condition. Debating in the Scottish Parliament can be a step towards raising that awareness but, as members know, we must go further in our campaigns after the debate.

Figures that we have heard reveal that, every year, more than 3,000 people in Scotland experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The British Heart Foundation’s figures show that only one victim in 10 survives. However, crucially, the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest jumps from 6 per cent to 74 per cent if the casualty is in a shockable rhythm and a defibrillator is deployed within three minutes. That statistic shows clearly why it is important, as the motion states, to have accessible community defibrillators that are well maintained and easily available to every community.

If we are to reduce deaths from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, it is important that people know how to use the defibrillators. It is important that we train people to use them and that they feel confident in using them. Understanding that, with quick decisive action, we can save a life gives us all great purpose to do more. Access to defibrillators is vital to saving lives. I say to Jenni Minto that I would happily support any of the campaigns that she advances from the debate.

I also pay tribute to the communities that fundraise for and maintain defibrillators, which are life-saving pieces of equipment. In my community of Mauchline, a well thought out strategy has, following some fantastic fundraising, resulted in a community defibrillator being based at the centre of the village, with another due to be installed in another part of the village. The Mauchline Community Association, which is based at Centre Stane, has implemented a plan that includes good maintenance, ensuring that there is a high level of local understanding about how to access and use the equipment and registering it with the Circuit. Those measures are to be commended in any community and I am proud of the efforts in my village.

As I mentioned, my local defibrillator is registered with the Circuit, the national defibrillator network. The network provides a national overview of where defibrillators can be found and connects to the NHS ambulance services throughout the United Kingdom. That ensures that, in the crucial moments after a cardiac arrest, the defibrillators can be accessed quickly to help to save lives. At the moment, many defibrillators are never used because emergency services do not know where they are. That can cost lives and it is why it is important that the Circuit’s infrastructure is available.

I reaffirm a key point that I have made in previous debates: inequalities in health and healthcare cannot be ignored. It is no different in this instance. People from more deprived areas in Scotland are almost twice as likely to have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and are 60 per cent less likely to survive to leave hospital than those from less-deprived areas. We must not forget those factors when planning for the future. It is crucial that the Government addresses inequality as a matter of urgency before it is too late for more people. Key to that is tackling the root causes of health inequality.

I again acknowledge the importance of the motion and commend the work of the volunteers and organisations that raise awareness of the issue. I thank members for contributing to this important debate.