The lifesaving equipment installed around Hartlepool - and how you can help

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

There have been 12 new CPADs installed in 2019/20 across Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees, taking the total number registered within the area to 51.

NEAS also have an ongoing campaign where people in areas which have been identified to be in ‘higher need’ of a defibrillator can apply to them for £500 from The NEAS Trust Fund towards the equipment.

In Hartlepool there are five ‘higher need’ areas which, broken down by postcode, are TS24 0, TS24 8, TS24 9, TS25 3, and TS25 4.

Port Clarence and Seal Sands are also areas in need of a defibrillator according to the service.

Across the North East, 201 new CPADs have been installed in 2019/20 as of January, taking the total number to 742.

Mark Cotton, assistant director of communications for NEAS, told the last meeting of the Hartlepool Borough Council Audit and Governance Committee defibrillators can help save lives.

He said: “We’ve increased the number of defibrillators across our service area. That’s nearly a 50% increase in defibrillators.

“We particularly focus on areas where we felt there would be the most benefit.

“We’ve also looked at using smart technology where we activate qualified healthcare professionals, not the public, to a nearby cardiac arrest.”

This involves qualified health care professionals registering as community first responders on the GoodSAM app.

They can then set themselves as available when they are free to respond to any cardiac arrests in their nearby area that are flagged up while they are off duty.

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

It comes after earlier this month Barratt Developments North East, the housebuilder behind an ongoing 220 home development at Elwick Road in the borough, donated 19 defibrillators from its sites across the region to the fight against coronavirus.

Additionally in September last year Hartlepool Borough Council planning committee approved proposals to install a defibrillator outside the Borough Hall in the Headland.

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