Make your defibrillator count – help us save lives ahead of Restart a Heart Day
Date: 2 October 2025This October, as part of Restart a Heart Day campaign, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) is calling on schools, community groups, and organisations across the region to take one simple but life-saving step: register your defibrillator and make it publicly accessible.
As a proud partner of Resuscitation Council UK for Restart a Heart Day [16 October], EEAST is committed to improving survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. One of the most effective ways to do that is by ensuring defibrillators (AEDs) can be found and used quickly in an emergency.
Did you know?
There are currently over 11,000 public access defibrillators recorded across the East of England. But we know there are many more out there that aren’t yet registered – and that means they can’t be located by emergency services when every second counts. Schools and other organisations are especially urged to register their defibrillators and, where possible, install them on external walls to ensure 24/7 public access. Unregistered or inaccessible defibrillators can’t be located by 999 call handlers, which could cost vital minutes in a cardiac emergency.
Liam Sagi, the National Strategic Lead for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest at the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and a Critical Care Paramedic at EEAST, says:
“Every defibrillator that isn’t registered is a missed opportunity to save a life.
“We know that early defibrillation is critical in cardiac arrest, and that’s only possible if 999 call handlers know where the nearest device is. Schools, community centres, and businesses can make a real difference by registering their defibs and making them publicly accessible.”
The British Heart Foundation’s national defibrillator database, The Circuit, helps 999 call handlers direct bystanders to the nearest AED in an emergency. You can check if your local defibrillator is registered by visiting: https://www.defibfinder.uk/
How you can help:
- Is there an AED in your town or village?
- Do you know who is responsible for its upkeep?
- Is it registered with on The Circuit?
If you know of a defibrillator that isn’t listed, you can register it online via www.thecircuit.uk. If you have any queries around the defib, you can contact our Community Response team at defibs@eastamb.nhs.uk.
Together, we can make a real difference. Let’s increase the reach of public defibrillators and give more people a fighting chance in a cardiac emergency.
