The rollout has been led by the London Ambulance Charity as part of its Heart Starters campaign, writes Liedson Moreno Gomes

30 new defibrillators have been installed across London as part of a drive to eliminate so-called “defib deserts – areas with little or no access to the life-saving devices.

The rollout has been led by the London Ambulance Service through its charity arm, the London Ambulance Charity, as part of its Heart Starters campaign.

When the London Heart Starters campaign launched, analysts at London Ambulance Service (LAS) identified ‘defib deserts’ – areas with the worst access to defibrillators. And now, with an additional charity defibrillation co-ordinator role, the Service is ramping up the number of installations across the capital.

LAS remains concerned about 75 neighbourhoods out of the original 150 areas, and are urging groups and communities to step forward to host a defibrillator and learn how to make proper use of them.

The progress follows fundraising and a £150,000 donation from the Mayor of London to give communities across the city better access to one of these life-saving devices.

Samantha Palfreyman Jones, head of community resuscitation at London Ambulance Service, said: “We are incredibly grateful for the Mayor’s contribution to our campaign. We have made excellent progress to reduce the number of neighbourhoods that are in desperate need of these devices.

“We’re urging Londoners to help us by hosting one of these defibrillators in their neighbourhood so bystanders are ready to help when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

“The moments before an ambulance arrives is incredibly crucial and that’s why Londoners should be able to get their hands on a defib as a quickly as possible.

“Our focus remains on getting these devices to the communities that need them most by working closely with the Greater London Authority, local leaders, housing associations and businesses.”

Dr Tom Coffey, The Mayor of London’s Health Advisor, added: “We are proud to be partnering with the London Ambulance Service to install defibrillators.

“By providing access to these devices along with basic training, we want London to be a place where everyone can feel confident to step in during an emergency. “

Reverend Stephen Maclean hosts one of these new defibrillators outside his church in Brent, which is one of the priority areas for the Heart Starters campaign.

Rev Maclean said: “A huge thank you for funding the defibrillator outside Cricklewood Baptist Church. This has generated a lot of interest from different local groups that use our building as well as others in our neighbourhoods.

“Our local residents association and Brent councillors are fully behind having the defibrillator outside the church ready to save someone’s life. We’re planning training so residents can learn how to use it.”

The London Ambulance Charity is also calling on Londoners to raise vital funds for defibrillators by abseiling from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 19 March.

If you are interested in supporting the Charity’s work by taking on the adrenaline-fuelled Big Stadium Abseil, please register for the event here

If Londoners want to host a defibrillator in their neighbourhood, please contact London Ambulance Service on [email protected]

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