School pupils learn vital lifesaving skills through innovative virtual reality project

The Young Minds Save Lives programme, which is run by the Scottish Ambulance Service and is currently funded by NHS Charities Together, is uniquely co-designed with young people and provides them with vital knowledge and skills on how to respond in a medical emergency and preventative healthcare. It also aims to raise awareness about future careers in health and opportunities for volunteering, whilst developing skills in when and how to access healthcare.

Phase one of the pilot training programme was designed with S3 students from Shawlands Academy and Holyrood Secondary School, focusing on local community health needs. It was delivered by local frontline paramedics and covered topics such as the recovery position, recognising strokes, chest pain and heart attacks, drug and alcohol harm, and street first aid including excessive bleeding from penetrating wounds such as knives.

An evaluation conducted by the University of Glasgow has reported impressive results from this initial phase including a 150% increase in awareness of how to put someone in the recovery position, a 49% increase in confidence in providing first aid to a penetrating wound, and a 30% increase in confidence about responding to an emergency that might involve drugs and/or alcohol.

Figures showed that when it came to chest pains and heart attacks, there was a 44% increase in confidence about responding to an emergency that might involve a heart attack, a 47% increase in confidence when performing CPR, a 97% increase in knowledge of when to use a defibrillator, and a 64% increase in confidence in using a defibrillator.

Arran Lambie, S3 student at Holyrood Secondary School said: “I really enjoyed the Young Minds Save Lives programme as it was really interactive and we got to use mannequins and VR headsets.

We also got to take part in an escape room where we solved mysteries using the information we’d learned and we had to work as a team. It was a really good way to keep the knowledge in our heads and make it something that we’ll remember forever.”

Michael Dickson, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We are delighted with the evaluation results and the brilliant feedback we’ve had from the schools, pupils and their families saying that the Young Minds Save Lives programme has been fun, engaging, informative and inspiring.

“This programme shows the power of collaborative work and what can be achieved by creating strong links with schools to design and deliver new and innovative ways of teaching young people vital live-saving skills.

“We are currently delivering the programme to an additional three schools in Glasgow - Hollybrook Academy, which supports pupils with additional learning needs, St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School and Castlemilk High School – and at the young people's request, we’ve added a mental health topic which was again co-designed with students to ensure the content addresses what they consider most important. We’ve also worked with Hollybrook Academy to make the learning fully inclusive.

“The next step is now to secure ongoing investment which will enable us to roll the initiative out across the country. We can then train more young people in vital skills and preventative healthcare areas, all tailored to suit them and their local community’s needs.

For more information about how you can support the Young Minds Save Lives initiative, contact: sas.ymsl@nhs.scot.