Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health to detail the support available to register and maintain a community-owned defibrillator that is accessible for public use.
Minister of Health: The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) leads on the implementation of the Community Resuscitation Strategy and is funded to provide a supporting role in advising organisations, businesses, and individuals regarding siting of defibrillators and best practice for defibrillators.
Currently there are around 3203 permanently fixed community defibrillators registered with NIAS on the National Defibrillator Network, known as ‘The Circuit’. Further information on the location of defibrillators can be found at http://www.defibfinder.uk or by contacting the NIAS Community Resuscitation Team at resus.admin@nias.hscni.net or telephone 028 9040 5215.
Local Councils provide opportunities for community and sporting organisations to apply for funding towards defibrillators and there are a number of charities who will fully or part fund defibrillators. These charities include but are not limited to The British Heart Foundation and Bravehearts NI.
ENDS
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