More than 16 million people in England and Wales risk dying from a cardiac arrest because they live farther than a 1km round trip from the nearest 24/7 defibrillator, according to exclusive research.
Analysis of publicly available defibrillators by the Heart Restart campaign found that in England and Wales alone, 35 million people – more than half the population – do not live within the recommended three- to five-minute brisk walk of a defibrillator. Of these, about half live more than a 1km round trip from a 24/7 accessible defibrillator.
There are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but fewer than one in 10 people survive. However, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival.
Patients in cardiac arrest who do not receive emergency treatment within 10 minutes – a 1km round trip to retrieve a defibrillator – are highly likely to die. But Heart Restart’s researchers calculated that with the exception of the City of London, all local authorities have at least some of their residents living at least 10 minutes’ round trip from their nearest 24/7 defibrillator.
Analysis of how far people lived from an accessible defibrillator showed that in 264 out of the 318 local authority areas studied, more than half of councils’ residents were not within the recommended three- to five-minutes reach of a defibrillator.
The research also uncovered significant inequalities in access. In Harlow, more than 70% of people are at least 10 minutes away from their nearest publicly available, 24/7 accessible defibrillator, while in Birmingham, nearly half a million people live more than 500 metres from the nearest 24/7 defibrillator.
In contrast, every resident in the City of London and 77% of those in Hartlepool are within the recommended three to five minutes of a 24/7 defibrillator.
The British Heart Foundation has announced a community defibrillator campaign, inviting local areas throughout the UK to apply for 400 24/7 community defibrillators. The areas BHF says have the biggest “defibrillator deserts” – the longest distances to a defibrillator, despite having higher population density and deprivation levels – include Barking and Dagenham, Liverpool, Southampton and Nottingham, Wrexham and Newport, as well as parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Responding to the findings, Sam Kennard, the community defibrillator manager at the BHF, said: “When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every second is critical. Survival chances drop by up to 10% for every minute without CPR and defibrillation, so not having a defibrillator close by can have devastating consequences. That’s why every community needs enough defibrillators so they can be ready when needed most.”
Adam Benson Clarke, the clinical director at Resuscitation Council UK, said: “A cardiac arrest is the most time-critical medical emergency, and quick access to a defib can make the difference between life and death. Nobody should be disadvantaged because of where they live – placing defibrillators in the communities that need them most gives everyone the best possible chance of survival.”
David Stockdale, the chief executive of the British Healthcare Trades Association, said: “Where you live can still determine whether you survive a cardiac arrest. Defibrillators save lives, yet millions of people remain too far from one when every minute matters.”
Luke Taylor, the Liberal Democrat MP for Sutton and Cheam, who supports the campaign for better access to defibrillators, said: “It is shocking that millions across the country are in a defibrillator desert. Far too many people are simply too far from a lifesaving device when every second counts.”
The government should make it more affordable to install community defibrillators by scrapping VAT on defibrillators, pads and batteries to “help communities put these lifesaving devices where they are needed most”, he added.
