Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of levels of (a) training in defibrillator use and (b) mental health support available to school staff required to respond to cardiac incidents.

Defibrillators are designed so they can be used by anyone with no prior training. Users are prompted to follow the step-by-step instructions on the defibrillators at the time of use.

As part of the department’s roll out, we provided awareness videos to schools showing how simple defibrillators can be to use, and asked schools to share these videos in staff meetings and assemblies. By providing defibrillators and raising awareness, this programme will help to produce a generation of young people who feel able and confident to use this life saving equipment.

The department recognises that using a defibrillator could be a distressing experience. Individuals are advised to contact their GP, who will be best placed to assess their needs after an incident and provide access to the appropriate support.