A network of life-saving defibrillators across West Lothian must be created to address a “healthcare crisis” of needless deaths from heart attacks in the community, councillors have agreed.
A meeting of the full council this month backed a motion from the depute Provost Peter Heggie calling for a survey of defibrillator access in the county and a call to lobby Holyrood for more funds to develop a network.
In his motion to the council depute Provost Heggie, a Conservative councillor for south Livingston, said: “Deemed a ‘healthcare crisis’, there are around 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occur every year in the UK. According to the British Heart Foundation, less than 1 in 10 people survive a sudden cardiac arrest. The survival rate for someone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest decreases by 10% every minute.”
He told the meeting: “We need to make searching for the nearest defibrillator easier for all members of our community to potentially save lives in West Lothian. I would ask officers to update me on current access to defibrillators for the West Lothian community and identify areas of concern with limited or no coverage.”
He added: “I would also like officers to investigate potential funding available from the Scottish Government to increase coverage, availability, and training in our communities on this vital piece of equipment across West Lothian.”
Councillor Heggie asked the council to have details of the survey brought back to the relevant policy Development and Scrutiny Panel. An amendment from the Labour councillor Craig Meek group suggesting instructing the Chief Executive to bring a report to the next meeting of the Public and Community Safety PDSP,was accepted.
One of the first defibrillators installed for community use was donated to the village of Torphichen in 2018 by St John Scotland. The defibrillator had previously been held at the Post Office, meaning it was only accessible during business hours.
St John Scotland, working alongside Torphichen Community Council and with help from West Lothian Council, the Community Heartbeat Trust and others, successfully moved the defibrillator to an old phone box at the heart of the village. It can now be used by any member of the public 24/7, which could prove vital in the event of cardiac arrest.
St John Scotland runs a Community Defibrillator Scheme. It helps save lives across Scotland by providing advice, training, and funding to communities wishing to install a Public Access Defibrillator.
Community groups, charities or individuals looking for support to install a defibrillator can contact St John at https://www.stjohnscotland.org.uk/home/defibrillators .
Another community which benefits from a defibrillator housed in an old phone box is in East Whitburn.
Many public buildings also have defibrillators. The new survey will create a vital index of life saving equipment.
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