Why did none of the major Parties mention Defibrillators in their 2024 Election Manifesto?

As the dust settles on a historic landslide victory for the Labour Party, one glaring absence was clear in each major party's manifesto throughout the election.

Neither Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, the Green Party or Reform UK mention defibrillators in their manifesto. With around 60,000 deaths as a result of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) each year in the UK, how can such a major issue be overlooked completely?

Needless deaths across UK

A 2023 study from the European Society of Cardiology found that the lack of public access defibrillators in the UK is resulting in needless death due to the delay from the point of cardiac arrest to defibrillator shock. The figures show that, on average, the nearest defibrillator is a 19-minute round walk from any given postcode in the UK.

If Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and a shock from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) are given within four minutes of collapse, survival rates from OHCA are around 70%.

After this, the chances of survival fall by 10% every minute without a defibrillator shock and chances of survival are around 6% without prompt CPR and defibrillation. You can view the nearest accessible AED to you by entering your postcode on the Circuit here.

Attempts at reform

A bill to legislate for AEDs to be installed by law in all public buildings has twice gone before Parliament, reaching the second reading stage in 2022 and 2023 but stalled at this point in both instances.

The Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Bill outlined provisions for AEDs to be placed in sporting facilities, schools, higher education and other education and skills facilities, and facilities that provide care to vulnerable people, as well as associated training be provided.

Despite the defibrillator bill not passing through Parliament, the House of Commons and House of Lords have 25 defibrillators on the grounds to serve MPs and Lords. The total number of MPs and Lords is around 1300; making the number of AEDs per population and area considerably higher than the average for the UK.

This bill making its way through Parliament and becoming an Act would signify a huge win for tackling cardiac arrest deaths in the UK.

How can these figures be improved?

Survival rates for cardiac arrest will improve with more 24/7 public accessible defibrillators, but with prices ranging from around £800 to £2,500 on average it can be a struggle for businesses and communities to raise the funds to have public defibrillators installed.

One key step that the new government could take to help ease this burden on communities and work towards everyone living within a feasible distance to an AED is to scrap VAT on defibrillators.

Over 100 MPs wrote to the then-Prime Minister and Chancellor in November 2023, urging the government to remove VAT on defibrillators, bringing them in line with most other medical equipment, which is also VAT exempt.

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.

Campaigners to scrap VAT on AEDs include Jack Hurley, a footballer from Leicestershire who suffered a cardiac arrest during a game at the age of 19.

Jack was saved by quick thinking and decisive action by his teammates who deployed an AED that was installed at the clubhouse by his team’s coach, the young footballer now says that "VAT is for luxury items but defibrillators are not luxury items, they are life-saving equipment.”

Imperative Training approached the Cabinet Office for comment.

Working to make the UK a heart-safe Country

Since 2003, Imperative Training and defibshop have been working tirelessly to make the UK a country in which no one dies from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. While this is a massive task, ensuring that everyone has the knowledge, confidence and equipment to respond to a cardiac arrest gives the best chance at this happening.