Member Article

Stockport manufacturer welcomes central UK defib database scheme

Shaun Ingram from Cardiac Science, a defibrillator manufacturer based in Heaton Mersey, Stockport, today welcomed the news that NHS England and NHS Scotland are joining the British Heart Foundation and Microsoft to create a database of defibrillators across the UK. The move is in response to figures that show public-access defibrillators are used in less than 3% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, which the British Heart Foundation says is “significantly reducing the survival chances of tens of thousands of people every year”.

Shaun commented: “We encourage everyone who buys a defibrillator from us – some 7,000 a year - to register them with us and we forward that information onto the local ambulance service UK-wide.

“Services we work with, like South Central Ambulance Service in Thames Valley, have gone further by creating a ‘Save A Life’ app to show people where defibs are for their area. But clearly it is time for a centralised database which all services can access and direct people to. Speed of response is so important after a sudden cardiac arrest. Anything that helps people locate a defib quickly is to be applauded and we will be playing a full role in making sure the database scheme is a success.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Souter .