Dave Thompson MSP

SKYE, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Dave Thompson has spoken at the Scottish Parliament in praise of an initiative to teach emergency life-saving techniques as part of the school curriculum on Skye.

Mr Thompson delivered his speech as part of a private member’s debate on Heart Start, an initiative run jointly by the British Heart Foundation; Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland and the Skye-based Lucky 2B Here charity. Last month, four sixth year pupils from Portree High School visited Holyrood to demonstrate emergency lifesaving support (ELS) techniques they had learned through tuition from Lucky 2B Here.

Prior to this, Mr Thompson had contacted Highland Council to encourage the addition of this type of tuition to lessons at more schools within the region.

The last item on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the Scottish Parliament was a private members debate on the Heart Start initiative.

In his speech during the debate, Mr Thompson recalled the pupils’ parliamentary visit, noting: “When it comes to a matter of life and death, those youngsters will be well prepared.

He continued: “Portree High School is a case study in the benefits of incorporating ELS into the school curriculum. Basic training can save lives.

“In Skye more than 200 pupils are now able to use their training to save a life, which is crucial in a rural community where an ambulance can take up to 20 or 30 minutes, or more, to arrive ... If only one student is able to use it, surely the training is worth while.

Mr Thompson concluded by saying: “Our schools are training, equipping and resourcing the next generation of Scots. Our hope for Scotland’s future is to see healthier, safer and more caring communities. Teaching ELS in schools is right at the heart of that dream.

Following Mr Thompson’s speech, Michael Matheson, the minister for Public Health, told the chamber that the Scottish Government had invested £7.5 million in new defibrillators for all ambulances.

He said: “As part of its community resilience scheme, the Scottish Ambulance Service is currently improving access to public access defibrillators throughout remote, rural and urban communities in Scotland.

“Dave Thompson referred to the Lucky2BHere charity in Skye, which has been rolling out CPR classes across Skye and is now looking to take those further afield. That has worked extremely successfully.

In concluding, the minister noted: “It is for schools and local authorities to decide what measures to take and what resources to put in place to take the learning forward. … However, I have no doubt that teaching children about emergency life support and CPR would fit very well into the physical wellbeing part of the curriculum for excellence.”