Lifesaving equipment donated to City housing estate

Medical equipment which can save the lives of people suffering a cardiac arrest has been donated to the City of London Corporation's Middlesex Street Estate.

The latest in a series of donations

A defibrillator donated by St John Ambulance London (Prince of Wales's) District has been installed in the estate's community centre.

The estate's wardens and staff have been trained by St John Ambulance to use the equipment and it will now be accessible to everyone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These public access defibrillators give voice instructions and are completely safe to be used even by people with no training.

The Middlesex Street Estate equipment is the latest in a series of defibrillators to be installed by St John Ambulance across the City of London and Tower Hamlets area, helping the Charity to be the difference between lives lost and lives saved.

The funding for the equipment came through the 2009 Lord Mayor's Appeal, of which St John Ambulance was one of the main beneficiaries.

Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are used in cases of cardiac arrest, which is when your heart stops beating.

Increasing the chances of survival

George Bairstow, St John Ambulance London's AED Project Officer, said: 'It has been proved that strategically placed defibrillators can significantly increase your chance of survival following cardiac arrest.

'At St John Ambulance we're committed to being the difference between a life lost and a life saved and this project is helping us save the lives of Londoners. With more defibrillators in public places, and more people trained to use them, we can significantly reduce this tragic loss of life.'

He said that the defibrillators are designed to be used by anyone, even if they have no training.

'They're completely safe – the defibrillator works out if the person needs a shock, so you can't give a shock to someone who doesn't need one.

'People are often afraid to use them, but people should use one if they need to as it can be the difference between life and death. Anyone who has collapsed and is not breathing needs a defibrillator as soon as possible.'

Middlesex Street is the fourth City of London Corporation estate to receive a defibrillator through the project. Eventually, 500 defibrillators will be placed in key public locations across the City of London area.