Question reference: S5W-12615
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 10 November 2017
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the roll-out of community-based defibrillators is supported, and what financial support it has provided for this.
Answer
An aim of the Scottish Government's Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy is to put in place effective arrangements to ensure that Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) are mapped, maintained and accessible to the public.
The promotion and registration of public access defibrillators is supported by the Scottish Ambulance Service’s (SAS) community resilience team which provides training to local communities wishing to place a public access defibrillator. The Service does not provide any financial support to communities that express an interest in placing a public access defibrillator, however the SAS can signpost funding opportunities such as charitable grants.
The Scottish Government appreciates the contribution communities, voluntary organisations and businesses make by purchasing defibrillators. In the main, the purchase of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) is through fundraising in the community, from charitable sources or business resources. The Scottish Government does not routinely provide such funding.
Further information can be found here: OHCA - A Strategy for Scotland; http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00474154.pdf and OHCA - A Strategy for Scotland Review; http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00510496.pdf