Campaign to reach 10,000 defibrillators in Peterborough ambulance service region

The East of England Ambulance Service has launched a campaign to get 10,000 defibrillators registered in the six counties of the East of England region.

There are currently 9, 400 defibrillators but the service has said that the 10k target could easily reached if unregistered defibrillators owned by schools, pubs, community centres and other organisations were added to the database.

The Circuit defibrillator network aims to map every defibrillator in the region so that 999 services can direct members of the public to it as well as use it themselves in the event of an emergency if required.

The Circuit also helps people maintain and look after defibrillators by sending reminders to check the device is ready.

These life-saving devices can help get the heart beating again when someone is in cardiac arrest.

Nationally, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is celebrating reaching 100,000 defibrillators being registered on a national defibrillator network.

BHF recently teamed up with Marks and Spencer at Serpentine Green in Hampton to install a new device.

Defibrillators can be found across the city and can be tracked online at https://www.defibfinder.uk/.

If you are aware of a device or own one that has not yet been added to The Circuit, the East of England Ambulance Service have issued advice.

Dr Simon Walsh is Medical Director at EEAST and represents the National Ambulance Services Medical Directors' Group on The Circuit’s National Advisory Board, said: “The cost of buying a defibrillator has dropped in recent years, so many organisations now own them. But for it to be able to save a life you need to do three simple things:

“1 - Register your defibrillator on The Circuit - unless its registered, our call handlers can’t direct people to it, and it only takes five minutes.

“2 - Ensure it is maintained and its batteries are changed regularly – or else it might not be ready when it’s really needed.

“ 3 - Keep its status updated on The Circuit. If your defibrillator is ever used it will be marked as out of service so that, in an emergency, people aren’t directed to a machine that is not ready. After use, your defibrillator needs to be checked, the battery and any disposable parts replaced – and its status updated on The Circuit. That way we will know it’s back in service.”

Find out more and register on The Circuit at EEAST’s defibrillator page: https://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/your-service/campaigns/the-circuit

The ambulance service offers free training to perform Basic Life Support and use a defibrillator. To find out more, visit [email protected].