London had 3,400 cardiac arrests last winter, 17% more than summer. Paramedics want Richmond residents to learn CPR; where to find the free sessions.
London Ambulance Service crews went to 3,400 cardiac arrests across the capital last winter. That was 488 more than in summer 2025, a rise of 17%.
The service released the figures on Thursday 15 October, the day before Restart a Heart Day on Friday 16 October. Its paramedics are asking Londoners, Richmond residents included, to learn chest compressions and how to use a defibrillator before the cold months. The figures are for the whole of London; the service has not published a breakdown for Richmond upon Thames.
The numbers
The London Ambulance Service release gives two years of seasonal figures:
| Season | Cardiac arrests |
|---|---|
| Summer 2024 | 2,965 |
| Winter 2024/25 | 3,643 |
| Summer 2025 | 2,912 |
| Winter 2025/26 | 3,400 |
The jump was bigger the year before: winter 2024/25 had 678 more cardiac arrests than summer 2024, a rise of 23%. Across both years, the service says London had 20% more cardiac arrests in winter than in summer.
The release gives summer 2025 only as “488 fewer” than winter 2025/26, so the 2,912 in the table is our own subtraction.
On its London Lifesavers page, the service says it responds to around 13,000 patients a year in cardiac arrest. Fewer than one in 10 survive. More than 75% of cardiac arrests happen at home.
What the chief medical officer said
Dr Fenella Wrigley MBE is the service’s Chief Medical Officer. She said:
“These figures paint a stark picture about the significant impact colder weather can have on heart health.
“Cold weather puts additional pressure on the heart and make it work harder to pump blood around the body. This can increase the risk of cardiac arrest particularly in patients with known heart conditions.
“As we expect to see an increase in cardiac arrests during the winter months, it’s vital that as many Londoners as possible feel confident to start chest compressions and use a defibrillator before an ambulance crew arrives.
“Every minute without chest compressions and defibrillation reduces a person’s chance of survival, so early intervention is absolutely crucial.
“These skills take only minutes to learn and more than doubles a person’s chance of surviving.”
Free training: where and when
Paramedics are running free sessions as part of Restart a Heart, the yearly campaign led by Resuscitation Council UK. None of the dates on the service’s free training events page is in Richmond upon Thames. The drop-in sessions, where you can learn the basics in five minutes, are:
- Thursday 15 October, 10am to 3pm: Kensal Rise Library, Bathurst Gardens, NW10 5EU
- Friday 16 October, 9am to 3pm: The Quad, The Burroughs, Hendon Way, NW4 4BT
- Wednesday 28 October, 11am to 3pm: Wandsworth Community Resilience Fair, Griffin Primary School, Stewart’s Road, SW8 4JB
- Friday 30 October, 10.30am to 4.30pm: Royal Air Force Museum, Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL
The Wandsworth fair, about six miles east of Richmond, is the nearest. The service also runs longer sessions of two and a half hours on CPR and defibrillators at Palestra House, Blackfriars Road, SE1 9JU. These are free and booked through Eventbrite.
If you cannot get to any of them, the service’s own short video covers what to do:
Since September 2021, the London Lifesavers campaign has trained more than 63,000 Londoners. Schools can ask for free pupil training through the service’s schools programme.
Defibrillators in the neighbourhoods without one
The London Ambulance Charity’s Heart Starters campaign is putting public-access defibrillators into parts of London that have none, or very few. When it launched in July 2024, it counted 150 priority neighbourhoods. When we checked its page on 15 October, the charity said that was down to 47.
The charity’s page also says:
- it aims to add 200 public-access defibrillators in unlocked cabinets
- each one costs £1,600 to fund and install, including training for the community that hosts it
- it is close to its £400,000 target
- groups can sponsor the campaign, host a defibrillator as its guardian, or fundraise for one
What it means for you
- Learn the skills before winter. The service says they take minutes and more than double a person’s chance of survival. The video above is a start; a drop-in or the Blackfriars course goes further.
- Most cardiac arrests happen at home, so the person you help is most likely someone you live with.
- Know where your nearest defibrillator is before you need it, on the routes you use every day.
- Support the defibrillator campaign by donating to the Heart Starters appeal, or become a London Lifesaver.
In an emergency, call 999.
Have your say