Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of evidence that women are significantly less likely than men to receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation during an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

The Department is aware of research that shows differences in bystander response in providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to men versus women. Research also shows that training is key to improving bystander confidence in providing CPR to women.

Local ambulance trusts, charities including St John’s Ambulance, the British Heart Foundation, and private providers deliver CPR training and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme. NHS England has worked in partnership with St John’s Ambulance and others to increase access to CPR training.