#heartsafe15: Defibrillators on their way with £1m campaign boost

The British Heart Foundation and the Department of Health are encouraging groups to apply for a defibrillator to make their communities safer.

It comes as the Express & Star has been campaigning to get defibrillators in Wolverhampton. So far donations have paid for two in the city through our #heartsafe15 initiative.

New figures from the British Hearth Foundation show that just 24 per cent of people in the West Midlands are aware they can use a public access defibrillator in an emergency and only 12 per cent say they would have the confidence to do so.

The charity warns this lack of awareness and availability could be costing lives.

Public health minister Jane Ellison said: "Our £1 million partnership with the British Heart Foundation will mean life-saving defibrillators will be given to communities across the country and more people trained in CPR. Making it easier to act in an emergency will ultimately save lives."

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Every year, people needlessly lose their lives to cardiac arrests because not enough people have the skills and confidence to perform CPR and too few defibrillators are readily available in public places. Through this partnership, we're urging organisations up and down the country to join us in creating a nation of lifesavers by making public access defibrillators readily available in their communities and by giving people the skills and confidence to save a life.

• Call AEDdonate on 01785 472 224.

• Text ‘AEDW50’ to 70070 followed by how much you want to donate.

• Donate online by going to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wolverhampton-aed-campaign.

• We are also encouraging people to take part by tweeting us at #heartsafe15

"This initiative could really mean the difference between life and death for the thousands of people that suffer a cardiac arrest in England every year."

The programme is open to charities, social enterprises, community groups and commercial organisations working in partnership with the NHS Ambulance Service.

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, their heart suddenly stops pumping blood around their body and they will die within minutes without treatment. For every minute without defibrillation, a person's chance of survival decreases by around 10 per cent.

However, a bystander giving immediate CPR and defibrillation can double a person's chances of survival in some cases.

There are more than 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK every year. However, fewer than one in 10 people survive.

In places where CPR and defibrillator awareness is widely taught, survival rates of up to three times as high have been reported.

The charity says that if UK survival rates were boosted to match those seen in parts of Norway, where up to 25 per cent of people survive, nearly 5,000 additional lives could be saved each year.

The BHF will now welcome applications for public access defibrillators from West Midlands organisations including charities, social enterprises, community groups and commercial organisations.