Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) causes 100,000 deaths in the UK each year and there are 60,000 incidents of SCA each year in community settings. Using a defibrillator within three minutes of a cardiac arrest can improve a person’s chance of survival by as much as 70 per cent. They are literally life-saving.
This is a deeply important issue for many constituents and I was pleased to be able to make it, albeit by the skin of my teeth, to the Scrap the Heart Restart Tax's parliamentary event on the 23rd October to show my support and add my signature
The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) states an ambition to establish a national network of community first responders and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) that will help save up to 4,000 lives each year by 2028.
To support this goal, the previous Conservative Government launched the Automated External Defibrillators Fund to provide £1 million to expand the number of defibrillators in community spaces across England. I understand priority is being given to areas where defibrillators are most needed, such as places with high footfall or vulnerable people. Local organisations can express their interest in applying to the fund via this website: defibgrant.co.uk
As the new Labour Government develops a new 10-Year Plan for the NHS, I hope that expanding access to defibrillators will remain a priority so that we can further prevent and reduce deaths from SCA.
Better provision of defibrillators and increasing the number of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation could help save more lives of those who have a cardiac arrest away from a hospital setting. The Circuit - a national database of defibrillators - has been set up by the British Heart Foundation and other charities to help ambulance services to identify the nearest defibrillator during an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. I strongly encourage organisations to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of their first-aid equipment, so that more lives can be saved in future.
I am very pleased, following the Oliver King Foundation campaign, the previous Conservative Government ensured that every state-funded school has at least one automated external defibrillator (AED). This complements the requirement that has been in place since May 2020, that all contractors refurbishing or building new schools through centrally delivered programmes provide at least one AED. However, there is still a long way to go to ensure there are no gaps in defib provision across the country and I will continue to follow this issue closely.
