Torbay MP Steve Darling to launch national heart health campaign on Restart a Heart Day

Torbay MP Steve Darling will next week share a new national campaign to improve access to defibrillators and save lives as part of his role as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Defibrillators.

On Restart a Heart Day (Thursday 16 October), Steve will unveil a new Constituency Campaign Pack for MPs, designed to help parliamentarians across all parties take practical action in their local areas to boost cardiac survival rates.

The campaign pack provides ready-made questions, local stakeholder engagement guides, roundtable prompts, and press materials enabling MPs to lead on heart health in their communities while advancing the APPG’s five national calls to action:

1. Mandate defibrillators in all new and publicly accessible buildings

2. Equip all emergency vehicles with defibrillators

3. Expand and standardise CPR and defibrillator training in schools

4. Introduce targeted screening for cardiac conditions

5. Improve post-cardiac arrest care and mental health support

Steve said:

“Every minute counts when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, and access to a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death. This campaign is about making it easier for MPs to take local action that will save lives in every community.”

Restart a Heart Day, led by the Resuscitation Council UK and partners, is an annual awareness day promoting CPR and defibrillator training. Steve added:

“In Torbay, our priority must be ensuring that residents get the best possible care, from prevention and early diagnosis to emergency response and recovery. After our hard-fought campaign to stop the removal of Torbay Hospital’s cardiology services, I want to thank everyone who signed our petition and made their voices heard. I’ll keep working with local health leaders and national partners to protect and strengthen heart care for our community.”