What consideration has the Welsh Government given to establishing a national recovery pathway for survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, including access to rehabilitation, psychological support, cognitive assessment and follow-up care, and has it assessed the Resuscitation Council UK's survivor quality standard as part of this work?
The Welsh Government's approach to recovery and rehabilitation following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is set out in the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan: Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan for Wales.
The NHS in Wales is responsible for implementing the plan, which states that rehabilitation assessments should be completed in accordance with national guidelines. It includes actions to ensure appropriate referral pathways are in place to rehabilitation services, including cardiac rehabilitation and individually tailored information on the psychological impact of OHCA.
The Welsh Ambulance Service is developing an updated all-Wales approach to OHCA and through its Save A Life Cymru programme was an active participant in the development of the Resuscitation Council’s quality standard for survivors. It has also collaborated with the Council on the development of resources for families, which can be found at:
Support after cardiac arrest | Resuscitation Council UK
Support after cardiac arrest resource | Resuscitation Council UK