HEART GUARD
A Call for Equality in Saving Lives
A community-based service that addresses cardiac arrest survival inequalities in deprived communities.
Overview
A community-based service that addresses cardiac arrest survival inequalities in deprived communities.
It contains Heartbeat festivals enhancing heart health awareness while inviting unemployed residents to become Heart Guardians who look after their community, and an online AI platform to support emergency training and response to build heart-safe communities.
Location
Easterhouse, Glasgow, UK
Duration
01.2024-06.2024 (6 months)
Client
Laerdal
Partner
SERVICE DESIGN COLLEGE
IBM
St Andrew’s First Aid
Phoenix Community Centre
Role
Project coordinator
Design researcher
Story teller
Design team
Shaoxiong Guo
Yuling Xiao
Xueying Sun
Ni Wei
Jiaxi Li
PROBLEM STATEMENT
People from deprived communities are less able and confident than those from other communities to act effectively as bystanders to cardiac arrest, thereby creating the inequality of people being rescued in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest emergencies.
1. Final Outcome
A three-part service ecosystem that transforms deprived communities into heart-safe neighbourhoods
① Heartbeat Festival — Building Awareness Through Play
A community festival that blends music, games and CPR activities.
AED Treasure Hunts
CPR Rhythm Games
Family-friendly heart-health stations
Recruitment point for “Heart Guardians”
Purpose: make first aid social, fun, and accessible to residents who usually lack training opportunities.
② Heart Guardians — A Local First Aid Force
Unemployed or under-employed residents are trained through partnerships with St Andrew’s First Aid and Phoenix Community Centre. Their role:
Deliver regular CPR training
Act as first responders in real emergencies
Strengthen neighbourhood connection and resilience
This reframes unemployed residents as community assets, not disadvantages.
③ AI-Powered First Aid Platform
Supports both training and real-time emergency response.
AI Virtual Call Handler: lets residents practise calling 999 and following instructions.
AI Smart Dispatcher: coordinates response tasks among Heart Guardians and NHS ambulance services.
This ensures faster, more efficient community intervention before ambulances arrive.
Business Model Canvas
Service Blueprint
Health Impact
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Higher CPR competence and confidence
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Faster bystander action in emergencies
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Increased OHCA survival likelihood
Social Impact
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Reduced loneliness
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More community cohesion
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Increased sense of belonging and purpose
Economic Impact
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Reduced pressure on NHS resources
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Lower costs from shorter recovery and hospital stays
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More local employability through Guardian roles
Heart Guard shifts the system from reactive emergency care → preventive and community-driven first aid culture.
2. Impact
Neighbours were talking in their yards.
3. Why This Matters
Survival inequality in deprived communities is systemic and severe
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Residents in deprived areas are twice as likely to experience cardiac arrest
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60% less likely to survive
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CPR exposure and confidence are significantly lower
Ethnographic research in Easterhouse revealed deeper causes
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Lack of training access
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Low motivation due to financial stress and mental overload
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Social isolation and weak neighbourhood ties
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Fear of legal consequences, doing harm, or “not being qualified”
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AEDs are available, but most residents don’t know their locations
Interviews with NHS authors, first-aid trainers, Phoenix Community Centre, and Glasgow Street Aid confirmed that knowledge gaps + social barriers + resource inequality form a reinforcing cycle.
This insight led to one core opportunity:
Communities need a locally embedded, socially engaging, and low-barrier way to gain first-aid confidence.
Chatting with PHOENIX staff after interview.
CPR training & interview with St Andrew First Aid staff
4. How We Designed the Service
System map based on analysis of desktop research data.
1) Desk Research → System Map
Mapped multi-layered barriers (health, social, structural).
Identified deprived communities as the most affected group.
2) Expert Interviews → Validate System Barriers
Interviewed:
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Scotland OHCA report authors
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St Andrew’s First Aid trainers
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Glasgow Street Aid
Save a Life for Scotland staff They revealed practical gaps in training access, motivation, and emergency coordination.
3) Ethnography in Easterhouse
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Observed residents’ environments, health habits, AED accessibility
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Conducted casual conversations in cafés, streets, malls
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Interviewed locals and community trainers
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Identified loneliness, low trust, and lack of opportunities as key factors
4) Insight Synthesis
Four themes emerged:
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Health problems
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Barriers & misconceptions
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Loneliness & unsupportive environments
Fewer opportunities (jobs, training, education)
5) Concept Development & Testing
Created initial proposals → tested with:
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Phoenix Community Centre
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St Andrew’s First Aid Refined based on real constraints (funding, staffing, sustainability).
Insights shaped the final 3-part Heart Guard system.
Key resource of desk research
Interview Scotland’s OHCA report 2019-2022 writing group staff
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Led research planning and ethnographic fieldwork in Easterhouse
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Conducted expert interviews across NHS, first-aid charities, and community organisations
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Synthesised findings into system maps, themes, insight frameworks
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Co-created service concepts and tested them with partners
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Designed user journeys, blueprint, and touchpoints
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Communicated the narrative through storytelling and visualisation