Defibrillators service suffers funding threat
DOZENS OF life-saving defibrillators including some in isolated rural communities are under threat after the region’s ambulance service announced it was stopping funding the equipment.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) has written to 100 parish councils and businesses that were given defibrillators, which can save lives in cases of sudden cardiac arrest, in 2014.
A letter from the head of community resilience, Paul Stevens, to a business hosting a defibrillator in East Yorkshire said YAS expects parish councils or the local community to pick up responsibility and costs.
The letter states: “There is no obligation for YAS to continue to maintain these devices and I must inform you that we are no longer in a position to do so.
“We must standardise our arrangements across the county and with over 1,200 defibrillators logged into our Ambulance Control systems it is not feasible for YAS to maintain the cost of all these devices.”
The letter said YAS would “happily” hand over ownership to parish councils, adding: “I know that you will be disappointed with this decision but I hope you can understand the significant cost implication with over 1,200 CPADs across Yorkshire.”
The costs include replacing batteries for £198 and cabinets for £478, while optional familiarisation sessions cost £200. Coun Jonathan Owen, the East Riding Health and Wellbeing Board’s chairman, and fellow board member Coun Jane Evison said they were “very concerned”.
Coun Owen said: “Having been so supportive of providing this service to communities, I am amazed YAS are withdrawing their support for a service that must be perceived as a great life saving support to local communities when they haven’t the resource to respond rapidly in our rural areas through the normal 999 service.
“We will use whatever means we can to raise concerns and ask them to re-consider as this must be a false economy.”
Coun Evison added: “I have fought for many years to improve ambulance response times in our rural communities and hoped the provision of community defibrillators was a cost effective back up for the ambulance service, hence their willingness to provide and support.
“It is difficult to understand how YAS can justify withdrawing a service to a rural community when response times are still not satisfactory.
“I am extremely disappointed that they wish to withdraw their support and pass the responsibility to often small parish councils and local communities.”
Defibrillators deliver an electrical current through the chest which aims to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm allowing it to pump again. The devices used in the community - automatic external defibrillators - are designed to be simple to use for the layperson. Since 2014, many communities have bought their own AEDs.
YAS has been asked to comment.