Restart A Heart Day

It’s time to get hands on for Restart a Heart Day.

In light of COVID-19, the steps you should take when performing CPR have changed - but the need to perform CPR has not. 

Out of hospital cardiac arrests are still happening across the UK, and by learning and performing CPR, you could be the difference between life and death for a loved one at home, a colleague at work, or a stranger in the street.

Restart a Heart 2021 will see some in-person events resume in the UK. Digital learning will still play a key role in ensuring that everyone has a chance to learn CPR and that those having a sudden cardiac arrest have their best chance of surviving.  

Whether you’ve learnt CPR before, or this is your first time, this is an opportunity to learn how CPR guidance has changed during COVID-19 and gain the skills and confidence to help if someone collapses and stops breathing normally. First, watch this short video that explains the steps you should take if you see someone in cardiac arrest:

Here’s how you can get involved:

Show your support

Let your friends and family know you’re supporting Restart a Heart by using the hashtag #RestartAHeart on social media.  

Events

Ambulance services across the UK are holding events both in-person and online (including livestreams and training sessions held via video conferencing apps.)

Independent events are welcomed, and please ensure that any face-to-face training events adhere to local and national guidance on social distancing. Any events that do not adhere to Government guidance cannot operate under the Restart a Heart banner. If you are planning to hold a small, independent event in line with Government guidance, please register your event through our short survey.

To find out what your local ambulance service is doing for Restart a Heart day, click ‘Ambulance Contacts’ below.

Why you should learn CPR

• Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping blood around the body, and causes a person to collapse and stop breathing normally. 
• Survival rates from out of hospital cardiac arrest remain stubbornly low in the UK, with fewer than one in ten people surviving. If CPR were more widely taught, thousands of lives could be saved every year. (Resuscitation to Recovery) 
• Around 80% of cardiac arrests happen in the home. As people are spending more time at home during COVID-19, that statistic may be higher at the moment. Learning CPR guarantees that you have the skills to help those around you, including in the home. 
• RCUK’s amended COVID-19 bystander CPR guidance is based on the best available evidence and clinical advice and has sought to balance maximising the chances of survival with rescuer safety. To learn more about why we have updated our guidance, please read our statement.

Read their stories

• Find out why this group of cardiac arrest survivors, lifesavers and loved ones want you to learn how to Restart a Heart.
• Responding quickly to an emergency is just as important now as it ever was, explains lifesaver Peter Costello.