Defibrillators

A defibrillator gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest. This shock is called defibrillation, and it's an essential life saving step in the chain of survival. If you come across someone who has had a cardiac arrest, it’s vital to call 999 and start CPR. Then you should find out if there is a defibrillator nearby. You shouldn’t be afraid of using a defibrillator if someone has had a cardiac arrest.
Thousands more lives could be saved from cardiac arrests, thanks to a ground-breaking partnership between the NHS, the British Heart Foundation (BHF), and Microsoft. The new partnership aims to map all of the UK’s defibrillators, with a shared ambition for the life-saving devices to be made readily available for every out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The initiative is in response to shocking figures that show public access defibrillators are used in less than 3 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, significantly reducing the survival chances of tens of thousands of people every year.
One of the biggest barriers to their use is the location of these devices is often unknown to bystanders and ambulance services. 999 call handlers are unable to direct bystanders to their nearest defibrillator. BHF, NHS England, and Microsoft will work together over the next 12 months to develop a map of defibrillators across the UK that can be used by ambulance services.  The network will be piloted by our local West Midlands Ambulance Service.