Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, attended a Parliamentary event raising awareness about the importance of public access to defibrillators.
According to research, if someone has a cardiac arrest and a defibrillator is used within the first three to five minutes, their chances of survival rates can increase by 70%. However, it is estimated that over 40% of Sussex Weald residents do not have quick access to a public defibrillator within the 3-5-minute window of a cardiac arrest considered essential for survival. The median distance to an AED from the centre of any given UK postcode is over 700 metres, which is on average 19-minute walking distance there and back.
Speaking to Nusrat, 20-year-old Jack Hurley recounted how his life was saved by a defibrillator installed in his local football ground. Together with the British Heart Foundation, St John Ambulance, and the British Red Cross, Jack is currently spearheading a campaign to increase access to lifesaving defibrillators across the country by removing VAT on all Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) purchases to reduce their cost and enable more communities across the UK more access to these lifesaving devices.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Quick access to a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death for a person who is going into cardiac arrest, and it is particularly important that communities in rural areas such as ours in Sussex Weald can access this equipment quickly. I know from my travels across the constituency that many villages have already installed a defibrillator, but I know that there are more public places in Sussex Weald that would benefit from a defibrillator, and I continue working with our communities on securing more funding for this live-saving equipment.”
