Defibrillator campaign
28th of June, 2023
Dear Local Authority leader,
The treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease is a priority for the Government. We want people to have the best chance of survival from cardiac arrest, and public access to defibrillators is critical to achieving this.
Defibrillators can provide vital life-saving treatment, with latest research showing that accessing these devices within 3-5 minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%. Unfortunately, many defibrillators are never used because emergency services do not know where they are or how to access them.
That is why registering defibrillators on ‘The Circuit’ is important and can make a real difference in saving lives.
The British Heart Foundation, in partnership with the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK), the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and the National Health Service, have set up The Circuit: the national defibrillator network database, which provides information on where defibrillators are located. The Circuit is live in in all ambulance services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Registering a defibrillator with The Circuit enables emergency services, including first responders, to locate the nearest publicly accessible external defibrillators (AEDs) when they are treating someone suffering from out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest.
Data shared by the British Heart Foundation from The Circuit details that there are 65,870 defibrillators registered in the UK, with 51,332 of these located within England. But we know many more AEDs are not registered, meaning ambulance services cannot find them when they are needed most. That is why we urgently need as many organisations and individuals as possible to register their defibrillator today.
Registration is simple and quick to do. To register your AED please go to https://www.thecircuit.uk/. With the 75th anniversary of the NHS coming up on 5th July, what better way to mark the occasion than to give NHS staff the tools and information they need to save more lives.
I would be grateful if this message could be disseminated to parish and town councils, in addition to as many organisations as possible within your local authority who may have unregistered AEDs.
Best wishes, WILL QUINCE MP MINISTER OF STATE
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