I am urging local organisations and community groups to express an interest in a government initiative to expand the installation of public defibrillators.
The Department of Health and Social (DHSC) care initiative is building on the work of the government, NHS and others to improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Latest research showed that accessing these devices within three to five minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%.
Successful applicants to the fund will be asked to match or contribute to the funding they receive.
To help with the distribution of funding and in readiness for the appointment of our partner organisation, the department is publishing an 'expression of interest' form for local organisations to fill in.
Town halls, community centres, local shops, post offices and local parks are all good places to have a defibrillator.
Having these life-saving pieces of kit in our communities will save lives and I hope that local groups will come forward to look at whether a defibrillator could be installed.
Right now, all that needs to happen is for a group to express an interest and once the DHSC has picked its partner, distribution of funds should progress, if match funding is in place.
I would be happy to speak to any group who is looking to do this and offer support and advice.
The expression of interest form can be accessed at this link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=MIwnYaiRMUyMH-9N6Jc6HLfy1IJ_lPFFotCZIB4mEYlUQ1VUWU9ISjI4MjNTVzlPWFk1SDQ2SzhRSi4u
