No one we spoke to in Manchester knew their nearest defibrillator was right in front of them

Defibrillators can now be seen in most bars, restaurants, leisure centres and parks, but without any prior knowledge of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), people may walk by these life-saving devices without even realising what they are.

The UK has more than 80,000 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) which are available to the public, while this number might sound high - the nearest defibrillator to any address on average is a 19 minute walk from any given postcode in the UK.

On a trip to a busy Manchester City Centre in the middle of July, not one person we spoke to realised that their nearest defibrillator was right in front of them, located alongside an advertising screen.

As well as increasing the number of AEDs in the UK, we must ensure that we recognise these life saving pieces of kit in the public, as this could mean the difference between life and death when every second counts.

Setting up on a busy Manchester street, we stopped members of the public to ask them if they are familiar with defibrillators around Manchester. Of 10 people we asked whether they knew where their nearest defibrillator was, not one person realised that it was right in front of them.

This is despite a large sign above the former phone box/advertising screen reading ‘Defibrillator’.

How can we make sure more people are aware of their local defibrillators?

In a cardiac emergency, after calling 999 the call handler will direct you to the nearest defibrillator over the phone but having a general knowledge of the nearest AED to where you live and work can buy precious time in an emergency.

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, they would typically suffer permanent brain damage within 5 minutes and die within 8 eight minutes without Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and an AED shock. If CPR is given immediately and a defibrillator shock delivered within 3 to 5 minutes, survival rates can be as high as 74%

A website called the Circuit was created to map all AEDs in the UK, and anyone who owns or looks after a public access defibrillator is encouraged to register their device on the site. You can view nearest AEDs to any postcode in the UK as well as hours of access here.

Educating the general public on where AEDs are, as well as building their confidence in using them will improve SCA survival rates.

How can we increase the number of public access AEDs

Despite defibrillator infrastructure improving across the UK in recent years, we still lag behind many other developed countries in terms of publicly accessible AEDs. One barrier facing communities and small businesses in installing AEDs is the cost involved.

With a defibrillator averaging £800-£2500, raising these funds can be a struggle. One step that could be taken to make these life saving devices more affordable would be to remove VAT; bringing them in line with most other medical devices which are also VAT exempt.

There have been several attempts to remove VAT on defibrillators already, over 100 MPs wrote to the then-Prime Minister and Chancellor in November 2023, urging the government to scrap tax on the devices.

Removing VAT on defibrillators could reduce their cost by around £200 to £500 per device. This, alongside legislation to make AEDs in all public spaces compulsory would be a big step to making the UK more heartsafe.

Being confident in a cardiac emergency

Equally as vital as the rescue infrastructure such as AEDs is having the confidence in your skills and knowledge to act in an emergency. Completing an Emergency First Aid or CPR and AED course ensures you have this knowledge and the confidence to use it.

Imperative Training is the largest independent provider of CPR and AED training in the UK, alongside providing other vital courses.

Contact Imperative at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01617767420 to discover how we can help you.