Access government funding for a defibrillator and learn how to register it so the emergency services can locate it!

Many councils and communities in the last few years have been installing a public access defibrillator (or more than one!) in public places. Other communities may still be looking into this provision, or may want to add to their available defibrillators.

Defibrillators can provide life-saving treatment, with latest research showing that accessing one within 3-5 minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%. If you are interested in purchasing a defibrillator then you might be pleased to learn that there is government funding available, and if you do already own one then you may want to register it on a national database so it can be found easily when needed.

Defibrillator funding

Community organisations are being invited to bid for funding for a defibrillator in their area; get a share of the £1million of government funding available to buy life-saving devices for community spaces! The Department of Health and Social Care is inviting interested organisations to register their interest in the fund, which is aimed at increasing the number of defibrillators available in public places. They are hoping an estimated 1000 new defibrillators can be provided.

Read more and register your interest here

Defibrillator network

The government has written to all councils encouraging them to register their defibrillators on ‘The Circuit‘. As it stands, many defibrillators are never used because emergency services do not know where they are or how to access them. The British Heart Foundation, in partnership with the NHS, Resuscitation Council UK and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, have set up The Circuit as a national defibrillator network database which provides information on where defibrillators are located.

Registering a defibrillator with The Circuit enables the emergency services, including first responders, to locate the nearest publicly accessible defibrillators.

Read stories from East Budleigh and South Tawton who have installed defibrillators already and please do tell us about it if you’re planning to put one in place.

Devon County Council funding available to help Devon’s communities reconnect, rebuild and recover from the pandemic.

Community-led facilities and activities, like many things, were quickly suspended during the onset of the national coronavirus lockdown.

As the country begins to return to some degree of normality, Devon County Council is keen to help local communities get back to doing the things they love safely and confidently, so they’ve created a special fund to support them.

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, said:

“We are proud that Devon is a place where people have the opportunity to live healthy, fulfilling lives in thriving, prosperous communities, and supporting our residents as we recover from the pandemic is key to ensuring this continues to be the case.

“The county has a fantastic network of community groups that work hard to support vulnerable residents and maintain people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

“We’ve seen the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on our residents, we’ve witnessed the disruption across our communities. Now more than ever, as restrictions are easing, it is important that we continue to support a wide range of initiatives that do inspiring work to reach people within their communities and help them to remain well-connected and resilient as we face the challenge of recovering from this pandemic.”

The Reconnect Rebuild Recover Community Fund will provide grant funding of up to £1,000 for smaller projects and between £1,000 and £3,000 for larger projects that help local people to reconnect, rebuild and recover their community-led facilities and/or social activities.

It will support community-led initiatives that:

• encourage a range of people to participate in activities that improve their physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing
• provide safe community-led transportation links and services which encourage and help people to re-connect and re-socialise safely within their communities
• encourage people to develop skills and learning through volunteering their time, knowledge and expertise to help and support the facilities and/or social activity and the people using them

You can find out more, including how to apply, on the Devon County Council website. 

The latest updates from Devon County Council regarding support for communities during the coronavirus pandemic.