A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current – often called a counter-shock – to the heart in order to restart it during a cardiac event.

Using research from The Circuit, which aims to map all public access defibrillators in the UK, the nearest 24/7 accessible defibrillator is, on average, a round trip of over a mile away. While in Wales there was no link between defibrillator location and deprivation, the picture in England and Scotland revealed that more deprived areas are typically further away from a 24/7-accessible defibrillator.

With nearly three in 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in England happening on the weekend, and four in 10 happening between 6pm and 6am, quick access to a defibrillator at any time of day is crucial. 

In 2022, there were 20,557 deaths due to acute myocardial infarction (or heart attack) in England and Wales. Cardiac arrest survival rates are 70 per cent if a defibrillator is used within five minutes, but every minute...