Decision details

To consider the allocation of funding and resources to enable the effective provision of a defibrillator at each of the Borough’s Community Centres and to provide training for the use of defibrillators to the staff and user groups of these facilities.

Every year across the United Kingdom more than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest.  Of this number less than one in ten currently survives.  Swift access to Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation is a key influential factor to these survival rates. 

Defibrillators are simple and safe to use. Once in position, the defibrillator detects the heart's rhythm and it will not deliver a shock unless one is needed. If the heart has stopped, high-voltage (200–1000 volts) pads will pass an electric current through the heart so that it is shocked into working normally again.

The Government, working in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, has announced £1 million of funding to provide free defibrillators for public places.   

This report presents the funding criteria and the options available to the Council to help ensure the best defibrillator coverage across the Borough’s community centres.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves:

(a)       the provision of up to four CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and defibrillator training sessions to be facilitated by the Council’s Facilities Manager and delivered to core staff or users from those community centres securing a defibrillator.  Up to 12 individuals can be trained in one session, and it is proposed that this tailored training would be made available to up to three individuals from each community centre.  The British Heart Foundation provides a training video with each defibrillator so the training is over and above their requirement;

(b)       the allocation of £150 for the purchase of one additional battery for use in training sessions,

(c)       the allocation of £6,005 to a ‘plan b’ fund to purchase defibrillators for up to five community centres who may be unsuccessful in their applications to the British Heart Foundation if they fail to meet the criteria;

(d)       the allocation of a maximum of 70 hours in total (5 hours per community centre) for Building Services to install any cabinet required to house the defibrillators; and

(e)       the allocation of a maximum of £7,020 to purchase up to 13 secure coded cabinets for those Community Centres intending to install their defibrillator externally.