23-05-2025
People in south of Scotland concerned about putting first aid training to use
St Andrew's First Aid has found nearly one-third of people are concerned about the potential legal consequences of trying to help.
More people in the south of Scotland are trained in first aid than anywhere else in the country.
But the region is also the most concerned about putting their vital life saving skills into practice.
A survey for St Andrew's First Aid – Scotland's only dedicated first aid charity – revealed nearly three-quarters of people in the south of Scotland have received first aid training, 10 per cent above the Scottish average.
And more than half say they would use their training if needed – but 30 per cent say potential legal consequences are a potential barrier.
The findings from the YouGov survey showed that doing it wrong and making the situation worse are other big fears.
Around seven per cent of Scots have found themselves in situations where they could have put their first aid training into practice but chose not to, meaning potentially every year 224 people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest don't survive.
St Andrew's First Aid has now launched a new campaign called Taking the Fear out of First Aid in a bid to help people overcome their fears.
Chief executive at St Andrew's First Aid, Stuart Callison, said: 'This research highlights not only the importance of being first aid trained, but also how critical it is for it to be put into practice when needed.
'While the research gives us some reassurance by highlighting those in the south of Scotland are leading the way in first aid training, it's worrying to see how many are concerned about the possible legal implications. The heartbreaking reality is that more lives could be saved through bystander intervention.
'That's why we're launching our campaign to dispel some of the most common myths around first aid, to overcome these fears and help save more lives. As well as providing first aid training to as many people as possible, we want to be sure that those who have been trained keep their skills up to date and have the confidence to step up when needed.
'Doing something is always better than doing nothing and allowing our fears to stand in the way of taking action can be the difference between life and death for a casualty.
