Council funds maintenance of life-saving defibrillators

With fewer than one-in-ten people surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest, access to well maintained, ready to use defibrillators can make all the difference.

Defibrillators deliver a shock which can restart someone’s heart after it stops beating. Defibrillation within three to five minutes of collapse can produce survival rates of 50% to 70%.

There are over 130 automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which are accessible all day every day in the Moorlands, without a clear system to register them or record maintenance schedules.

To help ensure this potentially life-saving equipment is properly maintained and available when needed, the District Council is partnering with AEDdonate – a Staffordshire charity – to manage defibrillators across the Moorlands.

The Council is funding the programme for two years to allow other options to be considered.

“Extensive research, instigated by Dave Swarbrook, Leek defibrillator champion, AEDdonate and a Council working group has resulted in this partnership - which means that our residents and visitors can have confidence that, should they require a defibrillator, the nearest one to them will be ready for use.”