ST John's Ambulance launches new campaign in light of more than half of people in the east of England not knowing how to treat someone suffering a cardiac arrest.

C.A.R.E for a Heart campaign teaches four easy steps in case you are faced with a cardiac arrest patient to boost their chance of survival.

A YouGov survey of 2,000 adults, carried out for St John Ambulance, also highlights 55 per cent of people in the region do not know where their nearest defibrillator is.

This is despite the fact up to seven out of ten people would survive a cardiac arrest if one were used within the first five minutes.

Jon Knight, St John Ambulance's regional director, said: "Our research shows that while most people have some awareness of defibrillators, we still have a long way to go in educating people about what they need to do in a cardiac emergency.

"Home is where the heart is, but it’s also where the majority of cardiac arrests happen, outside of hospital, which means it’s more likely to be our friends, family, or even ourselves, who need first aid in this life or death moment.

"None of us want to find ourselves in a situation where we couldn’t save a loved one’s life, any more than we’d want them to stand by helpless if we suffered a cardiac arrest.

"That’s why we are urging everybody to learn the four simple steps of C.A.R.E. today so that if the worst happens tomorrow, we can all act quickly and confidently, especially when every second counts."

According to the first aid charity upwards of 30,000 people experience a cardiac arrest each year in the UK, but as a nation we are lagging behind countries all over the world when it comes to knowing how to treat them.

Worryingly, data shows 87 per cent of people know what a defibrillator does but 70 per cent would not feel confident using one.

An astonishing 60 per cent of people wrongly believe it could cause harm to a patient.

Harwich and Manningtree Standard:

So how do you respond to someone in cardiac arrest? Practise C.A.R.E.

C - Closest defibrillator

Find your closest defibrillator

A - Arrest?

Be ready to spot the signs of cardiac arrest

R -Resuscitate

Know how to resuscitate using CPR

E - Early defibrillation

Early defibrillation gives the best chance of survival

To help you learn these steps with shareable videos click here.