The Circuit - the national defibrillator network
Registering your defibrillator on The Circuit ensures that ambulance services can locate your defibrillator and direct people to it if they witness an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
What is The Circuit?
The Circuit is the national defibrillator network. It maps defibrillators across the UK. This allows ambulance services to locate the nearest registered defibrillator when a bystander calls 999 in response to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.The Circuit also sends maintenance reminders to defibrillator Guardians (the individuals responsible for looking after the defibrillator). These reminders support Guardians to make sure their defibrillators are ready to help save lives. It’s quick and easy to register these checks on The Circuit. This means the ambulance service can be confident the defibrillator is ready to use.
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Why registering your defibrillator is important
Each year, there are over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK. But many defibrillators are not used in an emergency because ambulance services do not know where they are.
Less than 1 in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the UK. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10%.
Over 100,000 defibrillators are registered on The Circuit. However it is estimated that tens of thousands of defibrillators are not registered yet.
Registering is quick and free to do. It could make a lifesaving difference for someone and their loved ones.
Check if your defibrillator is already registered
Enter your postcode on DefibFinder to find your nearest defibrillator, or check if your defibrillator is already registered on The Circuit.
Become a defibrillator Guardian
A defibrillator Guardian is someone who’s responsible for a defibrillator.
Find out what you need to know about being a defibrillator Guardian and how to register and maintain your defibrillator on The Circuit with our guides:
How The Circuit works
STEP 1
Register your defibrillator on The Circuit
When you register your defibrillator, the ambulance service will be able to see it when someone calls 999. It’ll also be available on the DefibFinder website.
STEP 2
Maintain your defibrillator
The Circuit will send you email reminders to check your defibrillator. It will also tell you when your pads expire and if someone is sent to your defibrillator in an emergency.
STEP 3
Record your checks on The Circuit
Recording a status check takes just a few minutes. It provides ambulance services with the confidence that it is ready to use in an emergency.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in numbers
There are more than 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests a year in the UK.
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Under 1 in 10 survive an out-of hospital cardiac arrest.
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Less than 10% of these see a defibrillator being used.
Registering defibrillators on The Circuit and regularly recording status checks provides the ambulance service and the village with the confidence that the defibrillators are ready to use
One of the main reasons that I'm still alive today is that the passersby who witnessed my collapse were directed to the nearest defibrillator by the emergency services. This was only possible because the defibrillator had been registered on The Circuit.
Register your defibrillator on The Circuit
Registering your defibrillator ensures ambulance call handlers can see it if someone has a cardiac arrest. It could help save a life.
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