More defibs in the capital with funding from the Mayor

London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced £150k funding to help London Ambulance Service install 200 new defibrillators across neighbourhoods in the capital, expanding community access to these life-saving devices.

The money will boost the London Heart Starters campaign which is run by the London Ambulance Service Charity. It has a fundraising target of £400,000 to deliver defibrillators to communities where they are needed most.

According to data provided by the London Ambulance Service, there are 84 neighbourhoods in London with no easy access to defibrillators. These are known as ‘defibrillator deserts.’ In London, 13 of these areas do not have a single defibrillator, while 71 neighbourhoods have limited access to a device.

As part of the announcement of new funding to reduce the number of defibrillator deserts, the Mayor is calling on organisations to step forward host them. The London Heart Starters website has details on how to apply to host a device.

This donation came as part of Restart a Heart day last week, but the Mayor encouraged Londoners to learn CPR as a life skill at any time.

“With more defibrillators set to be installed around our capital, it’s also important that everyone learns how to use these devices. That’s why I am urging Londoners to watch our short training video on how to apply CPR and use a defibrillator, so we all know how to step in and assist in an emergency.”
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

Last year, the London Ambulance Service responded to more than 12,200 cardiac arrests across the capital. CEO Jason Killens encouraged people to be a guardian in the community. “It shouldn’t matter where in London you live – everyone deserves the best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.”

Catherine Levin

Catherine writes and commissions content from across the emergency services as well as interviewing senior leaders. She also hosts our webinar series exploring timely topics with a range of speakers.

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