Community urged to apply for grants for livesaving defibrillators in Hartlepool

Chiefs at the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) reported they have seen an increase in the number of community public access defibrillators (CPADs) installed and registered in the area.

There have been 10 new CPADs installed in 2018/19 across the Hartlepool and Stockton Clinical Commissioning Group area, taking the total number registered with the ambulance service in the area to 39.

NEAS have launched a campaign where people in areas which they have identified to be in ‘higher need’ of a defibrillator can apply to them for £500 funding towards the equipment.

In Hartlepool the areas broken down by postcode are TS24 7, TS25 2, TS25 3, and TS25 4, while there is another three areas in Stockton and one by Port Clarence that are classed as in ‘higher need’.

Debra Stephen, deputy director of quality and safety at the ambulance service, told the Hartlepool Borough Council Audit and Governance Committee defibrillators can help save lives and they are keen to ensure more are installed.

She said: “We’ve had a campaign looking at purchasing community public access defibrillators because that early defibrillation for patients absolutely impacts their likelihood to survive.

“As a trust fund we have identified funds that we will provide external agencies and companies if they purchase the defibrillator which is about £1,500, so we’re making a contribution to that and recognising that they actually do make a difference.

“We have had an increase in CPADs across the area. We do absolutely understand that making sure we have CPADs in key areas across our communities is an important thing to do in terms of patient survival.

“At the minute we do have a real campaign going which is identifying where the CPADs we know are and actually which postcode areas could benefit from having a CPAD.

“We’re happy to work with organisations to improve that situation.”

She added they also have a training service to teach people how to use defibrillators in an initial awareness session.

Across the North East, 145 new CPADs have been installed in 2018/19, taking the total number to 553.

Anyone interested in applying for funding help to install a CPAD should visit https://www.neas.nhs.uk/our-services/community-defibrillators/funding-opportunities.

Nic Marko , Local Democracy Reporting Service