Members' Business — S6M-02093 Jenni Minto: Importance of Community Defibrillators

That the Parliament notes the importance of access to defibrillators in communities across Scotland; understands that a defibrillator is required within three minutes of cardiac arrest for it to be effective; believes therefore that a wide spread of these devices across communities could play a key role in saving lives; understands that people living in the least affluent areas of the country are 60% less likely to survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; recognises the incredible community effort nationally, including in Argyll and Bute, of people who have raised funds to install and maintain defibrillators, but notes the view that more needs to be done; commends the work of the British Heart Foundation, in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service, the NHS and Microsoft, in establishing the Circuit, which is Scotland's first network of defibrillators; notes the calls for more work to raise awareness of, and improve education on, defibrillator use, and further notes the calls for anyone with a defibrillator to register it on the Circuit to help the Scottish Ambulance Service find its location in the event of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.