Management consultancy donates £8,000 to install more defibrillators in London

Management consultancy and social enterprise PPL have donated a generous £8,000 towards London Ambulance Charity’s pioneering London Heart Starters campaign to fund five defibrillators that will be used by local communities to save lives when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

PPL are a management consultancy and social enterprise that work in partnership with their clients and communities to tackle some of the UK’s biggest health and social challenges.

London Ambulance Service Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles, Head of Charity Jess Burgess and recently welcomed Claire Kennedy, Joint Chief Executive of PPL, for a cheque presentation at the Service’s London Waterloo Headquarters.

Claire Kennedy, Joint Chief Executive of PPL, said:

“The PPL team is proud to be partnering with the London Ambulance Charity and supporting the London Heart Starters campaign through our social impact fund.

“We think the campaign is a brilliant way of helping London Ambulance Service to save lives by increasing the number of defibrillators available to London’s residents. We are thrilled to help the campaign by funding five defibrillators to be placed in ‘defibrillator deserts’.

“We see this as a great example of partnership in action where, as a social enterprise, we can work together with the London Ambulance Charity to deliver positive, life-saving impact to our community.”

Head of London Ambulance Charity Jess Burgess said:

“I’d like to thank PPL for their incredibly generous donation. This gift supports our crucial mission to place life-saving defibrillators in the heart of every community, especially those that are in most need.

“Research shows that the use of a defibrillator within four minutes of collapse from a cardiac arrest can dramatically improve chances of survival by up to 50%. However, there are still neighbourhoods across London without these devices and chances of survival are much lower. This makes donations to the campaign, like that of the compassionate team at PPL, crucial in bridging the gap to save more lives.

“If your business would like to learn more about how to save lives in the capital by sponsoring defibrillators, please get in touch with us.”

In September more than 200 Londoners joined the Charity’s inaugural London Life Hike and raised almost £25,000 – enough to pay for 15 defibrillators.

There are three things Londoners can do to support the London Ambulance Charity in this life-saving mission:

1. Host a defibrillator in your community or at your business as part of the London Heart Starters campaign.
2. Register to become a London Lifesaver and receive training in CPR and how to use a defibrillator.
3. Support our fundraising efforts either by collecting money and donating it to the London Ambulance Charity , sponsoring a defibrillator, or by taking part in our fundraising events, such as the London Life Hike.

Analysis from London Ambulance Service has revealed that many neighbourhoods in the capital are ‘defibrillator deserts’ – where there is little access to a life saving device.

The data has revealed large discrepancies between communities in outcomes for cardiac arrest and the availability of life-saving devices. Households in more deprived areas are more likely to be in an area in greater need of additional defibrillators.

Help us place defibs in the heart of every community and save lives with your holiday gift to the London Ambulance Charity.