Lack of defibrillators could put 16m at risk of death by cardiac arrest in England and Wales

More than 16 million people in England and Wales risk dying from a cardiac arrest because they live farther than a 1km round trip from the nearest 24/7 defibrillator, according to exclusive research.

Analysis of publicly available defibrillators by the Heart Restart campaign found that in England and Wales alone, 35 million people – more than half the population – do not live within the recommended three- to five-minute brisk walk of a defibrillator. Of these, about half live more than a 1km round trip from a 24/7 accessible defibrillator.

There are more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK, but fewer than one in 10 people survive. However, early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation can more than double the chance of survival.

Patients in cardiac arrest who do not receive emergency treatment within 10 minutes – a 1km round trip to retrieve a defibrillator – are highly likely to die. But Heart Restart’s researchers calculated that with the exception of the City of London, all local authorities have at least some of their residents living at least 10 minutes’ round trip from their nearest 24/7 defibrillator.

Read full story

Source: The Guardian, 22 July 2026