Community organisations are being invited to bid for funding for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for their area.
£1 million fund has been made available to increase the number of AEDs in public places where they are most needed.
Funding will provide an estimated 1000 new defibrillators in community spaces across England. There is potential for this to double as successful applicants will be asked to match the funding they receive partially or fully.
As part of the grant award, applicants will be asked to demonstrate that defibrillators will be placed in areas where they are most needed, such as places with high footfall, vulnerable people, rural areas, or due to the nature of activity at the site.
Examples could include town halls, community centres, local shops, post offices and local parks, to ensure that defibrillators are evenly spread throughout communities and easily accessible if someone is experiencing an unexpected cardiac arrest.
Organisations who submit an expression of interest will be notified once grant applications open to the Department of Health and Social Care’s £1m Community AED Fund.
The funding is part of a drive to equip the health system with the right technology to ease pressures, reduce backlogs and cut waiting lists, and to improve public access to care when they need it.
Organisations can submit an expression of interest here.
