The following is a proposal for a Member Bill tabled during the Sixth Senedd:
Proposing Member:
Title of the proposed Bill:
The Welsh Hearts Bill
Policy Objectives of the proposed Bill:
A Bill to standardise and expand access to and training in the use of resuscitative equipment and procedures for the purpose of improving patient outcomes and reducing mortality from out-of-hospital-cardiac arrests across Wales.
To place statutory obligations upon Welsh Government for the development, coordination and implementation of a nationwide strategy and regional pathways to effectuate such improvements.
To be further inclusive of the following underpinnings:
- A statutory obligation for local authorities to ensure the installation and maintenance of a quantity of public access defibrillators (PADs) adequate for the demands of geography and population – to be determined in consultation with local health boards.
- A requirement for local education authorities to co-develop training in the use of and awareness of the availability of defibrillators with i) local university health boards ii) local authorities and iii) voluntary first aid organisations.
- An obligation for the Health Minister to ensure the regular collation and compilation of statistics related to sudden cardiac death, total cardiac arrest incidents and associated survival figures, and to issue an update to the Senedd on progress made towards meeting the obligations identified herein no less than once each term while the Senedd is in session.