PLANS to teach all secondary pupils in England life-saving CPR skills could heap pressure on the Scottish Government to follow suit.

Under draft legislation, all teenagers south of the border will be taught resuscitation skills and how to use defibrillators.

The British Heart Foundation said the move would improve, ‘shockingly low survival rates from cardiac arrests.'

The plans could heap pressure on action in Scotland, which has the lowest cardiac arrest survival rates in the UK. Glasgow has the highest number of cardiac arrests in Scotland.

Earlier this year, Glasgow City Council pledged to become the first city in the UK to train all pupils in CPR, following a pressure campaign by the Evening Times.

Aberdeen City Council has now agreed to the same and 10 other local authorities are in discussions with British Heart Foundation Scotland.

The First Minister welcomed Glasgow’s decision and encouraged other councils to follow its lead but has not indicated if the government would be willing to pursue legislation.

David McColgan, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager for BHF Scotland, said:“This is a great opportunity for the Scottish Government to be progressive and transform cardiac arrest survival rates in the years to come.”

Fewer than one in 29 people survive cardiac arrests suffered outside of hospital in Scotland and 10,000 people in the UK die each year.

In Denmark, cardiac arrest survival rates tripled after CPR training was made part of the curriculum in the country’s schools.

It comes after an inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017 found members of the public tried to help the injured and dying but lacked life-saving skills.

The report into the blast, which killed 22 people, praised the public response.

But the inquiry raised concerns that people on the scene were “trying their very best in genuinely harrowing circumstances” but “did not appear familiar with first aid principles.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We would encourage everyone to learn CPR but it is for schools and local authorities to decide if, and how best, to provide CPR learning opportunities within the curriculum. Under Curriculum for Excellence, schools already have the flexibility to provide CPR or first aid training and many do.

“Working with schools to support CPR learning is a priority for Save a Life for Scotland, the partnership of public and voluntary organisations working to encourage and support CPR learning as part of the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy for Scotland.”