I’M taking action to ensure that our community defibrillators continue to remain operational. They are lifesaving pieces of equipment, helping to keep many of us safe in our communities.

Local officials and groups have been speaking with me about energy suppliers hiking up bills for community defibs in South East Cornwall, which has threatened the ability of some to remain operational. This dramatic increase in costs is extremely disappointing, and I’ve been working with a parish council and a local group to address the issues that they are facing.

Before getting into the work happening, it’s important to recognise why defibrillators are a crucial part of our healthcare services in South East Cornwall. Essentially, defibs provide high energy shocks to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest. With 30,000 people in the UK experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, having access to these pieces of equipment is vital for reducing deaths when hospital care is not immediately accessible. For every minute without CPR and defibrillation, the chances of survival decrease by approximately seven to 10 per cent. That is a staggering figure, emphasising just how important it is to be able to access them so that we can continue to save lives in South East Cornwall. Essential healthcare should not be under threat.

So, I was deeply concerned that some defibs in our communities have been put under threat. For instance, Sheviock Parish Council is the guardian of a defib in Tredis and received notification from their energy provider that its energy bill would increase from £144 to over £1,400. This resulted in the council considering whether it was viable to operate the defib, despite it being located in an area where three people residing within 100 m had used it since it was installed.

That’s why I have been working with the parish council to take action on this issue, so that more lives can be saved. After contacting the energy provider to demand answers, I am pleased that it has now taken appropriate steps to address the council’s concerns. The parish council battled for nine months on this issue, so I am glad that this will provide some relief for them and the people who live near it, ensuring that they can access the equipment 24/7.

I’ve also worked with a local group in Trenewan about similar concerns there. Following on from these cases, I have written a letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about the support available to train local people to maintain defibrillators, public awareness about CPR and defibrillator use, and how defibrillators fit into the wider government approach to emergency healthcare provision.

So, we must continue to ensure that we have access to defibrillators in our communities. If any community groups or Town and Parish Councils have similar concerns to what I have raised in this article, please contact me via email at [email protected] or phone 07783 636284. I will continue to monitor the situation and take action to hold these providers to account.