Resuscitation Council UK has given evidence to the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee in response to a petition about Public Access Defibrillation.
The petition was submitted by Kathleen Orr after the tragic death of her son Jayden from a cardiac arrest at age 10.
The petition calls for the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to introduce a requirement for all new build or newly renovated or re-purposed buildings with a floorspace of over 7500m2 to have a public access defibrillator (PAD) fitted to the exterior of the building for public use, and for the PADs to be officially registered.
The petition demonstrates an interest in bringing PAD awareness to Scotland. In our evidence, we highlighted why Public Access Defibrillation is important for Scotland and commented on key issues raised in the petition and in the oral evidence session held in November 2018.
Our response emphasised our support for placing defibrillators on the exterior of buildings for public use, and for the registration of PADs with the local ambulance service. In our response, we also explain that making PADs a legal requirement may not help increase rates of bystander CPR or defibrillation - and therefore survival after cardiac arrest - due to the impact of other factors, such as public awareness.
We have also offered advice on the relevant factors which indicate where a defibrillator may be needed, noting the importance of footfall, age, and the nature of the location, rather than building size alone.
Our evidence also advises the committee on other key issues related to PAD and the demands of this petition, such as defibrillator maintenance, cardiac arrest in children and defibrillators and CPR education in schools.
Read the evidence submitted by RCUK (PDF)
