London Ambulance Charity receives £142k boost for life-saving defibrillators

Paramedics are calling on Londoners to host a defibrillator in their communities by contacting the dedicated London Ambulance Charity. This follows a whopping £140k grant that will directly fund nearly 60 defibrillators for local neighbourhoods.

London Ambulance Charity has been awarded an incredible £142,000 to boost a pioneering campaign that aims to give Londoners the best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest in the capital.

This money will go directly to the London Heart Starters campaign, which will fund 200 defibrillators in areas of the capital where they are needed most. These life-saving devices when used by a member of the public make a crucial difference when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

A cardiac arrest is a serious medical emergency where a person’s heart stops beating and pumping blood around the body and bystanders need to act fast in the moments before an ambulance arrives.

The money awarded by NHS Charities Together was the result of a partnership with Omaze and the £2.6m raised as part of the Million Pound House Draw.

Sam Palfreyman-Jones, Head of Community Resuscitation and Paramedic at London Ambulance Service, said: “This grant will really bolster the Heart Starters campaign and fund nearly 60 defibrillators for the local communities in desperate need of these devices. I’d also like to thank everyone who took part in the draw for helping to give our patients the best possible chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.

“We’re calling on Londoners to help their neighbours and loved ones by hosting a defibrillator in their communities. A person who has a defibrillator used on them by a bystander is nearly four times more likely to survive a cardiac arrest.

“These devices are incredibly easy to operate and gives people in life-threatening emergencies the best chance of survival when used quickly.”

Jon Goodwin, Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, added: “We are delighted to award this grant to London Ambulance Charity as part of our Community Resilience Grants Fund. The project has the potential to make a huge difference to the people living in London by helping them recognise the early signs of a cardiac arrest and how to respond.

“In addition to helping improve chances of survival, by educating people to know how to respond in a health emergency – or even prevent it from happening in the first place – we can also help reduce pressure on the NHS, which has never been more important. We look forward to continuing our work with London Ambulance Charity and other organisations across the UK to help the NHS go further for everyone.”

Londoners can also support 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 Big Stadium Abseil on Friday 14 March. This adrenaline-pumped challenge invites thrill-seekers to scale 42 metres down Tottenham Hotspurs football stadium.

Last year, analysis by the London Ambulance Service revealed that dozens of neighbourhoods are ‘defibrillator deserts’ – where there is little or no 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.

London Heart Starters has been partially funded by the Community Resilience Grants Fund from NHS Charities Together, thanks to a successful partnership with Omaze.

Help us raise money for our life-saving Heart Starters campaign on our dedicated London Ambulance Charity website here.