Schools urged to register their defibrillators

More than half of state schools in England – more than 10,000 in total - have a lifesaving defibrillator that is ‘invisible’ to the emergency services new analysis has revealed, as charities and ambulance services urge school leaders to register their device on a national defibrillator network. 

British Heart Foundation (BHF), Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance, 14 UK ambulance services and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), who set up The Circuit to map defibrillators across the UK, say when defibrillators aren’t registered ambulance services cannot locate them if someone needs them in an emergency. 

They are calling on Guardians (those responsible for a defibrillator) to be proactive and take just five minutes to register their device on The Circuit on its website (thecircuit.uk) as there is no cost to register and it could save lives. 

In October 2022, the Department of Education sent defibrillators to more than 17,000 schools who asked for one or who couldn’t confirm they already had one. But of the 20,000 state primary and secondary schools in England, only 8,775 schools have registered their device, meaning more than 10,000 (around 57%) are hidden from the emergency services. BHF says if school leaders can be proactive at registering their defibrillator, staff, students and the wider community will benefit. In many suburban areas, schools are the nearest place people can access a defibrillator.

Research in the West Midlands revealed that approximately a third of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur within 300m of a school. Every year in the UK there are 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests the UK which is a medical emergency when someone’s heart suddenly stops pumping blood around their body. For those who have a cardiac arrest, less than one in ten people survive, Quick cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation is vital to improve survival rates. 

Before The Circuit was set up ambulance services were only able to locate defibrillators using their regional databases. The Circuit was launched to provide a national view, with all ambulance services in England accessing it from September 2022. This means emergency call handlers across the country are able to direct bystanders to their closest defibrillator. More than 99,000 defibrillators are currently registered on The Circuit, but schools are now being urged to play their part. The National Governance Association has recently updated their compliance guidance to schools in September advising that schools should register their defibrillators on The Circuit. 

Judy O’Sullivan, programme director at British Heart Foundation commented: 'Schools play a vital role in society, educating future generations but they also have the opportunity to help save lives in the event of a cardiac arrest. We are urging those responsible for defibrillators in schools to protect students, staff and the wider community in the event of a cardiac arrest by taking 5 mins to register their defibrillator online at thecircuit.uk.'