Defibrillators: £500k to boost access in Wales

£500,000 will be made available to improve access to defibrillators in communities in Wales, the Welsh government has announced.

It comes after calls to make the devices available in all sports clubs after a rugby player died following a cardiac arrest during a match.

And in July, a cricketer died after a suspected heart attack.

The Tories said they feared the cash was not enough to give people suffering cardiac arrests a "fighting chance".

The leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies, spoke after his party led a debate calling for Welsh ministers to provide grant funding or loans so community halls, sports grounds and independent shops could buy and install defibrillators.

Announcing the money, Health Minister Eluned Morgan said there was the potential to save "many more lives".

After 31-year-old Cwmllynfell RFC player Alex Evans died in August, the Welsh government said it had donated £2.5m to the Save a Life Cymru programme to raise awareness of the importance of CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) training and the use of defibrillators.

After Mr Evans's death, Cwmllynfell club secretary Gareth Evans urged the Welsh Rugby Union to give all clubs defibrillators, saying it would give players "a fighting chance to survive".

Every minute a person is in cardiac arrest without CPR or a defibrillator, their chances of survival drop by 10%, according to the Resuscitation Council.

But the Welsh government said it hoped by increasing the availability of defibrillators in community settings, survival rates of people suffering a cardiac arrest outside of hospital would improve.

A number of deaths during sporting matches in Wales this summer prompted calls for more defibrillators to be made available to the public.

Maqsood Anwar, 44, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, was playing for Sully at their home pitch against Monkswood Cricket Club when he collapsed and died of a heart attack.

His friends said a defibrillator might have saved his live.

According to local councillor Kevin Marney, there was a defibrillator next to the cricket pitch but players said they were not aware of this.

Ms Morgan said: "Not only do we need a comprehensive network of defibrillators, but also to ensure that members of the public are equipped with the skills and the confidence to use them, as well as CPR skills in the event a defibrillator is not available."

Andrew RT Davies welcomed the new Welsh government money but said he was "fearful" that "an extra £500,000 won't be enough".

'We need to see this life saving equipment installed in all shops, sports fields and community halls across Wales, so I regret that the government amended our motion and decided not to support the provision of grants and loans to see this equipment properly rolled out across Wales," he said.

"Only that way can we give the 8,000 people a year who have cardiac arrests in Wales a fighting chance."

There are currently 5,423 public access defibrillators registered with Welsh Ambulance Service Trust and the national defibrillator network.

Typically, a defibrillator costs between £1,000 and £2,000.

Information on defibrillators available to the public can be viewed on the HeartSafe and Calon Hearts websites.