London Communities Gain 200 New Defibrillators in Life-Saving Expansion
By Health Correspondent
Communities across London will have better access to life-saving defibrillators as the Mayor of London donates £150,000 to the London Ambulance Charity.
The huge donation – on Restart a Heart Day – means the charity’s London Heart Starters campaign has reached its target to install 200 defibrillators in the areas they are needed most.
Transport for London has also donated defibrillators to the campaign, which have now been installed in homeless shelters across London.
Jason Killens, Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to the Mayor for this generous donation and to everyone who has supported our Heart Starters Campaign – you are making a difference to the lives of Londoners.
“Defibrillators are safe and simple to use and the more we install in public places, the more lives will be saved.
“Be a guardian in your community and look after your local defib so it’s ready whenever it might be needed.
“It shouldn’t matter where in London you live – everyone deserves the best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.”
When the London Heart Starters Campaign launched last summer, analysts at London Ambulance Service found there were 150 “defib deserts” – areas with very few defibrillators and some with none at all.
There are now 84 neighbourhoods which still urgently need a defibrillator.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every second counts.
“That’s why I’m proud to be partnering with the London Ambulance Service and helping to fund 200 new defibrillators. This will help to ensure that every neighbourhood in our city has better access to this life-saving equipment.
“With more defibrillators set to be installed around our capital, I would urge everyone to have their London Lifesaver training and learn the steps to save a life.”
A cardiac arrest happens when a person’s heart suddenly stops beating effectively.
A shock from a defibrillator can restore a normal heart rhythm and chest compressions – or CPR – can help keep blood and oxygen pumping to the brain and other vital organs.
When this is done in the minutes before an ambulance arrives, it can more than double a person’s chances of survival.
This happened to firefighter Nick Walton when he collapsed in cardiac arrest on his way to work a year ago.
Two members of the public started chest compressions while the police arrived with a defibrillator just before the ambulance arrived.
Nick said: “I went into cardiac arrest eight weeks after my partner of 37 years died suddenly – after also going into cardiac arrest. She was only 56 and the loss literally broke my heart.
“I don’t know why I survived and she didn’t but it has left me with a drive to help others. Now I raise money to fund defibrillators in her memory.
“I’ve lost the love of my life but with more defibrillators in the community, it could stop someone else facing such a devastating loss.”
Last year, the London Ambulance Service responded to more than 12,200 cardiac arrests across the capital. Fewer than one in 10 patients survived.
Some of the areas with the fewest defibrillators also have high levels of deprivation, and poorer health outcomes. The London Heart Starters Campaign aims to reduce these health inequalities.
Defibrillators are being given to homeless charities and installed in 44 shelters. All the devices are publicly accessible, day or night.
Pat Brandum, Chief Executive of Evolve Housing + Support, said:
“We are deeply grateful to Transport for London, London Ambulance Service and the Mayor of London for the donation of defibrillators to all Evolve Housing + Support homelessness services across London.
"With around half our residents living with high blood pressure, a major risk for cardiac arrest, these defibrillators are not just equipment, they are lifelines – and we're incredibly grateful that they will help make our locations safer, and our staff and the surrounding community better prepared in an emergency."
To learn the simple skills to save a life or find a free training event, visit the London Lifesavers Campaign pages.
The London Heart Starters campaign will continue to work to install additional defibs in areas where they are needed most, so your support still counts – you can support the London Heart Starters campaign here or learn more about the work of the London Ambulance Charity here.
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