A CHARITY has called for more to be done to end a “postcode lottery” over people’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest in the community.

St Andrew’s First Aid is demanding greater action from Scottish Government to address a “shortage” of first aid skills and help save more lives in areas of social deprivation.

It comes after figures revealed people living in the most deprived areas are 43 per cent less likely to survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) than those living in more affluent places.

The report on the Scottish OHCA Data Linkage Project, found that around 3,000 OHCAs happen every year in Scotland and they can affect people of all ages.

However, survival rates in Scotland are estimated at between just six and eight per cent – lower than the European average. St Andrew’s chief executive Stuart Callison said: “The report has identified a number of factors which indicate a very real link between areas of social deprivation and a person’s chances of surviving an OHCA.

“If it were mandatory for people to have even basic first aid skills, these factors could be greatly reduced.”