Communities are being urged to apply for free public defibrillators under a scheme being led by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).
The scheme is being supported by fundraising from Royal Mail and will see 220 defibrillators being made available to communities as part of the BHF’s Community Defibrillator Fund.
Areas with the greatest need will be prioritised, the charity has said, including those with high deprivation rates and limited access to defibrillators.
The BHF estimates there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but less than one in ten people survive.
Every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation after a cardiac arrest can reduce the chance of survival by up to 10%.
There are more than 79,000 defibrillators registered on ‘The Circuit’, the national defibrillator network but these are unevenly distributed, BHF has said.
The charity’s own research has suggested that people living in the most deprived areas of England and Scotland are on average 99 and 317 metres further away from their nearest 24/7 defibrillator than those in the least deprived areas, respectively.
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The aim through the current initiative is to reduce these ‘defibrillator black spots’ improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the charity has said.
Areas awarded one of these 220 defibrillators will be provided with a defibrillator and cabinet, and installation costs will be covered where required. The hope is eventually for this to expand to 420 defibrillators in total.
Communities awarded a defibrillator can also order future replacement parts free of charge when they expire or are used in a rescue. Communities can apply online.
The BHF has also identified 10 ‘black spot’ areas where, it has said, it is particularly keen to receive applications from. These are:
- Atherton, near Manchester.
- Birkenhead, in Merseyside.
- Morecambe, on the coast in Lancashire.
- Carlton, St Ann’s, Mapperley and Gedling in the Nottingham area.
- Drumchapel, in the north-west of Glasgow.
- Grangemouth, near Falkirk.
- Carrickfergus, outside Belfast.
- Derry/Londonderry, in Northern Ireland.
- Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales.
- Bridgend, near Cardiff.
BHF chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: “There simply aren’t enough defibrillators where they’re needed most, as research has shown that many communities are too far away from their nearest defibrillator.
“These devices make where you live safer, as cardiac arrests can happen to anyone, at any time. More communities will now have access to a defibrillator that can save lives.”
Greg Sage, deputy director corporate affairs and ESG at Royal Mail, added: “We are very proud that the fundraising efforts of our colleagues across the country are supporting this initiative to enable areas with the greatest need access to life-saving equipment.”
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