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The Circuit: Unique defibrillator map ‘will make a difference between life and death’

NHS ambulance services have begun using a unique defibrillator map as they often do not know where the closest life-saving machines are during an emergency.

Ordnance Survey (OS) has teamed up with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to create The Circuit, which maps defibrillators across the UK so 999 call handlers can provide people with the location of the nearest one.

It is the most accurate map of its kind thanks to the use of Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRN) – unique references given to address and non-address locations in the UK by local authorities, among others. The concept is similar to a car registration or a National Insurance number.

They can be up to 12 digits in length and serve as a unique identifier for any location – a building, a bus stop, a post box, or in this case, a defibrillator. Sometimes there can be one defibrillator in an entire block of flats or there could be one on the outside of a large building, meaning people often struggle to find them quickly using traditional addresses.

Essentially, the UPRN ensures everyone refers to the correct location, even for an object that has no literal address – so call handlers can guide someone to the defibrillator’s exact location and talk them through how to use it until paramedics arrive on scene. The Circuit is designed to synchronise every 60 seconds with the live dispatch system of the ambulance services and provide them with the location of the nearest defibrillator in an emergency.

Neil Spencer, emergency operations centre manager at East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “When we receive a call for someone who has stopped breathing, an ambulance is dispatched immediately and at the same time our 999 emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) will advise the caller how to perform CPR.

“Making use of technology means our EMDs can see the location and availability of nearby defibrillators and if there is someone available at the scene, our EMD will provide directions to collect the defibrillator.”

According to the British Heart Foundation, less than 1 in 10 people survive a sudden cardiac arrest. But if a defibrillator is used within the first minute of a cardiac arrest occurring, the survival rate for victims can be as high as 90 per cent. For every minute that defibrillation is delayed, however, the chance of survival decreases to 10 per cent. If delayed for longer than ten minutes, the chance of survival for an adult suffering a cardiac arrest is lower than 5 per cent.

Cardiac arrests are one of the leading causes of death in the UK and account for roughly 100,000 deaths every year. Currently public access defibrillators are used in less than 5 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests but paramedics hope that number will rise as a result of the new system.

John Kimmance, managing director of national mapping services at OS, said: “We are humbled to support a critical, national service that can make a difference between life and death. Our authoritative data and expert support have allowed BHF to create more than just a map. This is an intelligent database underpinned by a highly accurate addressing referencing system that allows the ambulance service to identify tens of thousands of defibrillators instantly.”

Judy O’Sullivan, director of innovation in health programmes at the BHF, said: “The Circuit is a vital tool in our fight to improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The support of Ordnance Survey in improving The Circuit has been invaluable, both as a trusted and reliable data source and utilising their expertise in mapping.

“But much more needs to be done. Less than 5 per cent of out-of-hospital-cardiac arrests receive bystander defibrillation, and the survival rate is less than 10 per cent. This is in part because there are still tens of thousands of defibrillators not known to ambulance services.”

Ms O’Sullivan said registering your defibrillator is simple and could save a life, as well as being regularly checked and maintained. She urged people to register them via The Circuit website. 

Reference: Paul Gallagher