We are a small committee of residents from Ingleby Barwick who have started a campaign to raise funds to install community public access defibrillators (CPAD) across the estate and surrounding areas. We also aim to increase public awareness about the importance of early defibrillation in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is a condition where the heart suddenly stops working and a person becomes unconscious. In certain cases the heart can be restarted with a shock from an automated external defibrillator, also known as an AED.

The challenge is to start good CPR immediately and have early access to a defibrillator. Unfortunately, in some instances, the defibrillator comes too late. In most communities, survival is only 6% from an out of hospital cardiac arrest as CPAD access is limited. We want to hopefully help improve this statistic by having accessible defibrillators in the community. We hope to do this by raising money to purchase CPAD’s and place them across Ingleby and surrounding areas in Teesside. Ideally everyone should be within 500 metres of a community public access defibrillator which is accessible 24/7.

When a 999 call is made and a person unfortunately suffers a cardiac arrest, the ambulance service informs the caller of the nearest defibrillator within a 500-metre radius. Cardiac arrests are time critical, it is crucial CPR and defibrillation is started early. For every minute a person has no CPR and defibrillation, the person’s chance of survival decreases by 10%, hence the 500-metre radius. Working with the support of North East Ambulance Service, we have planned and located sites to cover the full area. Each CPAD will be housed in a weather proof external case. The full cost for each CPAD located on a building will be approximately £1200. Lamppost sites are approx £2400

Early CPR and defibrillation increases a person’s chance of survival from 6% to as high as 74%.

Every year in the UK there are over 40,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests, many happen at home or in the workplace. Having CPAD’s located in the community will potentially help to increase survival rates.

The Ambulance service provided the following data: since the start of 2018 up until July 2021, there have been 46 cardiac arrests in Ingleby Barwick, of which 45% received bystander CPR. A CPAD had only been used once, and that lead to the only survival of those 46 cardiac arrests.

This highlights that Ingleby Barwick and surrounding areas need to have further Community public access defibrillators in place to cover the 500-metre radius. The committee are asking for your help to ensure that we can give any person who is unfortunate to suffer a cardiac arrest the best chance of survival. This could be you, your neighbour, a friend or a relative. The money raised will help to save lives, and help us to provide our local community with this lifesaving equipment.

Members of the public don’t need training to use a defibrillator. The CPAD talks the user through, and the ambulance service stay on the call giving support and directive, until help arrives.

After installation of the CPAD’s, community training would be offered to the residents, schools and community groups should anyone wish to attend. Although the public don’t need training to use a defibrillator, it gives confidence should a person find themselves faced with a medical emergency situation.

We have been working closely with North East Ambulance Service, and The British Heart Foundation National Circuit, who are all fully supportive.

We hope the community can give support to enable the funding and installation of the CPADs to help save lives.

Thank you for your help and generous donations.

Community Public Access Defibrillators CPAD IB Fund