Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Defibrillators

20 March 2024 · 4 other contributors · 4,669 words

Opened by Jonathan Gullis Con Stoke-on-Trent North

Responding minister: Andrew Stephenson

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Jonathan Gullis raised concerns about defibrillators in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Concerns raised about high number of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest in the UK, with a survival rate of around 8.5%.
  • Significant regional disparities exist, with deprived areas having only 27% access to defibrillators compared to 45% in affluent areas.
  • Government urged to mandate defibrillators in all emergency vehicles and consider removing or re-evaluating VAT on defibrillators.

Key requests to Government

I urge the Government to do more to address these imbalances by mandating that every emergency vehicle must have a defibrillator and ensuring all vehicles are equipped with them. Additionally, I ask for VAT on defibrillators to be removed or re-evaluated to help community groups purchase more devices.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Jonathan Gullis Con Stoke-on-Trent North

I am concerned about the high number of deaths caused by heart and circulatory diseases, with approximately 100,000 people dying each year from sudden cardiac arrest in the UK. The survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is alarmingly low at around 8.5%, dropping by 10% every minute without defibrillation or CPR. There are significant regional disparities, with deprived areas having only 27% access to defibrillators compared to 45% in affluent areas. Rural communities and those in deprived regions face longer ambulance response times and greater distances from the nearest defibrillator, contributing to higher mortality rates.

Other contributors (4)
  • Alan Mak Con Havant

    Thanks the hon. Friend for securing the debate and mentions Hayling Island Community Responders in his constituency, which trains volunteers to use defibrillators effectively. Encourages support for community responders and more volunteer recruitment.

  • Gavin Williamson Con Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge

    Congratulates the hon. Friend on securing the debate and mentions the charity AEDdonate in Staffordshire which emphasizes the importance of registering defibrillators so emergency services know their locations. I congratulate the Department of Health and Social Care on a fund. My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent North and I referred to the charity AED Donate, which does a lot of charitable work in this sector.

  • Graham Evans Lab Stoke-on-Trent South

    I highlighted the importance of volunteer-led initiatives in improving public access to defibrillators, praising the work done by dedicated volunteers and community groups like AED Donate. I emphasised that these individuals are lifesavers who do not expect much funding but strive to save lives.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Commends the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North for bringing the subject forward and discusses his 2020 Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Bill, which advocated for defibrillator installation in schools. Emphasizes the need to educate people such as teachers on proper use of defibrillators.

Government Response

Andrew Stephenson

It is a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship, I start by congratulating my hon. Friend on securing this debate and paying tribute to all contributors. Public defibrillators are crucial for increasing survival rates in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by up to 50% to 70%, especially when used within three to five minutes of collapse. We introduced the community automated external defibrillators fund with a £1 million match fund, which has resulted in the distribution of 1,590 AEDs as of March 12th by partners Smarter Society and London Hearts charity. Additionally, more than 20,000 devices have been delivered to almost 18,000 schools ensuring every state school has access to a defibrillator. Teaching first aid including CPR and the use of AEDs is now part of the mandatory curriculum since 2010. The NHS in partnership with various organisations is setting up The Circuit—a national database for locating nearest defibrillators, currently registering over 68,509 AEDs in England. Defibrillator guardians are responsible for registration and maintenance to ensure readiness during emergencies. Training is actively encouraged through partnerships like St John Ambulance which aims to train up to 60,000 people saving up to 4,000 lives annually by 2028. I also pay tribute to David Brown from the community first responder team and my late constituent Ruth Sutton for their dedication in improving defibrillator access.

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