South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne is supporting Complete the Circuit campaign, a national initiative launched by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). The campaign aims to locate tens of thousands of potentially lifesaving defibrillators across the UK, including the South Shropshire.

Every year in the UK, more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur, and sadly, less than one in ten individuals survive. Defibrillators play a crucial role in increasing survival rates, as every minute without CPR and defibrillation can reduce the chances of survival by up to 10%. However, public access defibrillators are currently used in less than one in ten cases.

To address this issue, the BHF has co-founded the creation of The Circuit, a national defibrillator network. The Circuit aims to improve survival rates by mapping the location of defibrillators across the UK, enabling immediate access in emergencies. Currently, over 60,000 defibrillators are registered on The Circuit, but it is estimated that tens of thousands more are unknown to emergency services.

Commenting Philip Dunne said

“I am pleased to support the Complete the Circuit campaign, which aims to save lives by connecting them all up. We have had great success in South Shropshire in deploying defibrillators across South Shropshire. What we need to do is to make sure people know where they are when needed.

“It is vital that we increase awareness of the importance of defibrillators and ensure their availability in emergencies. I encourage all my constituents who are guardians of defibrillators to register them on The Circuit and join this life-saving initiative”.