On 9 March 2026, the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust issued an urgent call for people in Kirkby, Merseyside, to inspect and maintain local public defibrillators. The emergency service reported that these life-saving machines must be regularly checked to ensure they are ready to help someone having a cardiac arrest.
Recent figures show that roughly 3,000 of the 11,000 public-access machines across the region are currently offline. The ambulance service explained that it removes these devices from its emergency tracking system, known as The Circuit, if it does not receive a maintenance update every 90 days. This is done to ensure 999 call handlers do not send people to equipment that does not work.
The ambulance service clarified that the responsibility for looking after these machines belongs to the local community groups or businesses that installed them, rather than the NHS. These local guardians are responsible for simple tasks like checking the battery and making sure the sticky pads used on patients have not expired. If a machine is not maintained, it cannot be used when a resident needs it most.
Having a working defibrillator nearby is vital because a person’s chance of survival drops by up to 10 per cent for every minute they go without intervention. Currently, these public machines are used in fewer than one in ten cardiac arrests that happen outside of a hospital. The British Heart Foundation manages the national network that helps emergency services locate these units during a crisis.
Residents and local organisations in Kirkby are being encouraged to check any machines in their area and register them on the national database. By keeping these units in good working order and updated on the system, community members can help ensure that life-saving equipment is always available for those in need.
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