Women less likely to be given CPR by passers-by - campaigner

Women are less likely to receive CPR from a stranger if they collapse because of a reluctance to touch their breasts, according to a new campaign.

The reason is the "embarrassment, fear and doubt" about touching or exposing their chest while giving assistance.

Campaigner and paramedic Kelly Wooller said more mannequins with breasts were needed for CPR training to "save women's lives".

She told the BBC: "We need to level the playing field."

Ms Wooller, an advanced clinical practitioner based in Sheffield, is behind the SARAHsays campaign, which aims to educate people about performing CPR on women and "annihilate" any stigma about potentially touch a breast.

Kelly Wooller and the Sheffield United women's team - who are backing her campaign

She continued: "People are embarrassed to touch a female's chest in public due to fear of litigation or not knowing what to do.

"There are statistics out there that indicate that women are 28% less likely to receive CPR in public because we have breasts and because people are trained on male, flat-chested mannequins."

The figure comes from research published by the European Heart Journal in 2019.

Ms Wooller's company ACW Medical provides CPR training for various organisations such as the Army and NHS and has started to provide mannequins with breasts.

She said she wants to raise awareness about the issue on International Women's Day and also point out that people who perform CPR on strangers are protected by the Sarah Act.

The Sarah Act is also known as the The Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Act 2015, a bill to "take a range of measures to encourage volunteering and involvement in social action".

Ms Wooley said the SARAHsays campaign also calls for better guidance when performing CPR on women and to banish any hesitation about removing clothing and bras if necessary - especially if a defibrillator is needed.

She said: "A woman's chest needs to be completely bare if those pads are to be applied.

"The underwiring in a bra can actually be harmful as it absorbs some of the current and can cause burns."