Defibrillator Deserts: Worst Places to Suffer a Cardiac Arrest in Scotland

Strategic Insights -

Charity campaigners have sounded the alarm on Scottish towns plagued by a lack of lifesaving defibrillators. The British Heart Foundation has identified areas of Kilmarnock and Greenock as among the worst places to suffer a heart attack, with a staggering 30,000 cardiac arrests occurring in communities across the UK each year. These defibrillator deserts pose a significant threat to the people who live there, with fewer than one in ten survivors of cardiac arrest. In the UK, a defibrillator can almost double a person's chances of survival after a cardiac arrest, but communities in these areas are often left without access to such lifesaving equipment.

Key Takeaways:

  • The British Heart Foundation has identified areas of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, and Greenock, Inverclyde, as among the worst places to suffer a cardiac arrest, with a lack of defibrillators making these areas 'defibrillator deserts'.
  • The charity highlighted the dire need for increased access to defibrillators, emphasizing their importance in the chain of survival during a cardiac arrest.
  • Each year, around 30,000 cardiac arrests occur in communities across the UK, with fewer than one in ten people surviving these medical emergencies.
  • The British Heart Foundation attributes the lack of defibrillators in some areas to deprivation, stating that they will relaunch their community defibrillator funding programme to reach the most deprived communities and save more lives.
  • The charity pointed out that every minute without CPR and defibrillation decreases survival chances by 10%.
  • Top 10 'defibrillator deserts' in the UK include Holme Hill, Grimsby, England; Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, England; and Mixenden, Halifax, England.
  • Specific Scottish locations mentioned include Hillhead, a suburb of Kilmarnock; Broomhill, a suburb of Greenock; and Gabalfa, a ward in Kilmarnock, which is ranked 4th on the list of 'defibrillator deserts'.

Statistics:

  • 30,000 cardiac arrests occur in communities across the UK each year.
  • Fewer than one in ten people survive cardiac arrests.
  • Every minute without CPR and defibrillation decreases survival chances by 10%.
  • Defibrillators can almost double the chances of survival after a cardiac arrest.
  • The British Heart Foundation has identified the need to increase access to defibrillators in the most deprived communities.

Sources:

  • British Heart Foundation
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