The British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru has revealed that Wrexham and Newport are among 10 areas across the UK that are in urgent need of more lifesaving defibrillators because they have communities with fewer of these vital devices in close range, putting people at higher risk of dying if they have a cardiac arrest.
The charity is urging community group leaders from these ‘defibrillator deserts’ to come forward and apply for a free defibrillator as part of the Community Defibrillator Funding Programme.
There are more than 3,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in Wales, but only around one in 20 people survive. However, early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival.
The charity has 400 defibrillator packages available across the UK and areas in greatest need will be prioritised. So far, the charity has successfully placed 1,000 lifesaving devices in communities through this programme.
“I wish I’d applied sooner – there was a lot of uncertainty around what to do in an emergency.”
One funded defibrillator package was placed in Newport last year through the same scheme.
Claire Derwin successfully applied for a defibrillator through the scheme last year, and it was installed next to an over-55s residence in Gaer, Newport.
“There was a lot of anxiety in the area. With an older population we unfortunately have had a couple of deaths in the past few years, and many residents in the building are managing heart conditions, living with stents and pacemakers. We knew this was important to them and they had pushed for a defibrillator to be fitted.
“When I first heard about the BHF Community defib programme, I decided to have a look at what defibrillator access we had in the area, and it just made sense to apply. With the over 55s residence and a primary school nearby, there was a lot of uncertainty around what to do in an emergency.”
Claire was delighted when their application for a defibrillator was approved.
“I thought the process of applying would be really difficult, but in the end it only took 20 minutes – I just wish I’d done it sooner! We had been exploring funding options, and it was really challenging. Nobody enjoys an application form, but the BHF made it easy for me.”
Through the scheme, Claire was able to explain the choice of location to people in the area, as well as sharing information with over 100 properties, including how to use RevivR, an online CPR tool created by the BHF that educates people on how to use a defibrillator.
“Following my experience, I would advocate for anyone to apply – our new defibrillator is going to be on that wall forever now, which is a nice legacy to leave. While we hope it never has to be used, bringing a new defib to the community has lifted the spirit of the local residents.”
The selected areas are those with a combination of long retrieval times, high population density and communities with high deprivation.
The fewer defibrillators in a community, the less chance someone has of surviving a cardiac arrest. For every minute without defibrillation and CPR, survival chances decrease by up to 10%.
It is vital that every community has enough defibrillators available in the event of a cardiac arrest, but there are hundreds of areas around Wales that still don’t have good enough access to these lifesaving devices.
The awarded defibrillators will be registered on The Circuit: the national defibrillator network, allowing emergency services to easily locate them. There are now over 120,000 defibrillators registered on The Circuit but they are not evenly distributed.
According to the BHF, more deprived areas have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and more deaths from cardiac arrest. These areas are often also places with fewer defibrillators, partially due to the cost of the equipment as well as the installation.
This campaign has been made possible thanks to the support of BHF’s corporate partners, Royal Mail and Sky Bet.
Rhodri Thomas, Head of BHF Cymru said: “When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts, and quick access to a defibrillator gives someone the best possible chance of survival before emergency help arrives.
“We’ve made great progress in placing more defibrillators in areas that need them most, but there are still so many communities, including some of the most deprived parts of the UK, which are still too far away from the nearest lifesaving device – and that can have devastating consequences.
“That’s why we’re thrilled to relaunch our community defibrillator funding programme – to bring more defibrillators into the communities that need them most and hopefully save more lives from cardiac arrest.”
The full list of identified areas across the UK is:
Wales
- Wrexham
- Newport
Scotland
- Airdrie, Hamilton and Motherwell
- Bonnybridge, Croy and Cumbernauld
Northern Ireland
- West Tyrone
- Cusher
England
- Barking and Dagenham
- Liverpool
- Southampton
- Nottingham
Successful applicants will receive a defibrillator and cabinet, and installation will be arranged where required. Future replacement parts will be free of charge when they expire or are used in an emergency for up to 10 years.
Check eligibility and apply for a BHF-funded defibrillator for your community up until February 2027 – by doing so, you could save a life: bhf.org.uk/fundeddefib.
