The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health, Alex Neil MSP, has told Highlands & Islands MSP Jamie McGrigor that a decision will be made early in 2014 on whether to roll out the use of automatic chest compressors in ambulances across Scotland.
These devices, which can be strapped around heart attack victims, can within 20 seconds be used by paramedics and ambulance crew to take over the physical hands-on work of Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
In September, Jamie met paramedics at an event in Parliament - at which the paramedics emphasised the success of the equipment in increasing survival rates - and afterwards wrote to the Health Secretary, calling for the new technology, which is being tested in the NHS Lothian area, to be made available to his Highlands & Islands region.
Speaking today, Jamie said:
“I welcome the fact that Alex Neil has assured me that the Scottish Ambulance Service will use the outcome of the pilot study in the NHS Lothian to determine roll-out plans early next year, and I look forward to a decision being made as soon as possible.
“Based on what paramedics who have first-hand experience of using the technology have told me, I am sure these automatic chest compressors would make a real difference to heart attack survival rates in my region of the Highlands & Islands, where peripherality and distance from hospitals can increase risk”.