Emergency call handlers across the South Central region directed members of the public to use life-saving public defibrillators more than twice as often during the late June heatwave, according to new figures from the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS). The trust recorded a 118% increase in the number of times 999 call takers sent bystanders to collect a nearby device between 19 and 28 June, compared with the previous ten days.
That regional spike was nearly four times steeper than the national rise of 31% over the same period, data compiled by The Circuit and the British Heart Foundation shows. The surge unfolded while the UK Health Security Agency had a rare red heat-health alert in force—only the second such warning ever issued—from 24 to 26 June. Jack Ansell, SCAS Divisional Community Engagement Manager for Hampshire, emphasised the importance of registering defibrillators on The Circuit so that emergency call takers can locate them when needed.
With the area now enduring its third heatwave of the summer and temperatures pushing into the mid-thirties, the ambulance trust is urging everyone who looks after a community defibrillator to act. Devices need to be switched on, hold pads that are not past their expiry date, and be registered on the national Circuit database so 999 operators can pinpoint them in an emergency. An amber heat-health alert remains in place across the South East until 9pm on Sunday 12 July. The red alert that covered much of England in late June was the country’s second, following one in July 2022.
Modern automated external defibrillators talk users through every step and will only deliver a shock if the device’s analysis finds it clinically necessary, meaning no prior training is required. When a registered defibrillator lies within roughly 400 metres of a cardiac arrest, a 999 call taker can direct someone to fetch it and, if it is stored in a locked cabinet, give them an access code. Guardians who need help checking their equipment or replacing old pads can email [email protected].
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