Stephen Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon & East Thurrock, recently met with Community First Responder, Dave Bowling, to discuss the value of community defibrillators.
On Friday, Stephen met with Community First Responder, Dave Bowling, to hear his proposal that all new housing developments, over a certain number of occupants, should provide a defibrillator and 10 years of maintenance funding. Following the discussion, Stephen agreed to raise the important suggestion with the relevant Minister in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Sudden cardiac arrests cause 100,000 deaths in the UK each year and there are 60,000 incidents of cardiac arrest in public spaces each year. When someone has a cardiac arrest, their heart stops and it is a race against time to ensure that oxygen continues to travel to their brain. CPR chest compressions and rescue breaths are essential for maintaining the flow of blood and oxygen during this time. However, the use of a defibrillator is the only thing that can seriously improve survival rates by shocking the heart and causing it to resume its normal rhythm – this restores the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain.
The NHS, in the past few years, has taken action to establish a national network of Community First Responders and defibrillators which will help save up to 4,000 lives each year by 2028. To support this goal, the Government has launched the Automated External Defibrillators Fund, which is providing £1 million to expand the number of defibrillators by 1,000 in community spaces across England. Priority will be given to areas where defibrillators are most needed, such as places with high footfall or vulnerable people.
Following a campaign by the Oliver King Foundation, the Government has also pledged that every school in England will have a defibrillator by the end of the 2022/23 academic year. This will complement the requirement that has been in place since May 2020, that all contractors refurbishing or building new schools through centrally delivered programmes must provide at least one automated external defibrillator.
Stephen Metcalfe said: “Having met with Dave and heard his idea, it seemed a very reasonable request as defibs are essential in saving the lives of cardiac arrest victims. Defibs increase the survival rate from cardiac arrests by up to 70 per cent compared to CPR chest compressions and rescue breaths. With more defibs in new housing developments, we could save hundreds of lives. Making them more widely available is an excellent way for housing developers to demonstrate that they are not only working with communities but also providing potentially lifesaving equipment.”
Further information on Stephen Metcalfe’s campaigns can be found here: www.stephenmetcalfe.org.uk.
