Many defibrillators are never used because emergency services don’t know where they are or how to access them. This is where The Circuit comes in, a system that is managed by the British Heart Foundation.

The Circuit is an online database that records the location of every publicly accessible defibrillator in the UK. So when someone calls 999 for a cardiac arrest, as an ambulance service, we’re able to access The Circuit database to find the closest defibrillator that is registered with them, which can be used before the ambulance arrives.

For this to happen, defibrillators first need to be registered with The Circuit so that they can be added to the database. If you are someone who looks after a defibrillator in the community, this is what you need to do:

1. Register your defibrillator at www.thecircuit.uk.
2. Maintain your defibrillator. The Circuit will help with this by sending email reminders to check it and letting you know when the pads expire. They will also let you know if someone is sent to use your defibrillator in an emergency.
3. Record your checks on The Circuit. It only takes a few minutes and helps us to make sure we’re sending someone to a defibrillator that is ready to use in an emergency,

All older community defibrillators that were directly registered with the ambulance service will need to be registered on The Circuit too – you can check if yours is already registered by visiting www.defibfinder.uk. We have over 10,000 defibrillators registered in NWAS, ensure yours is too at www.thecircuit.uk. 

All data protection governance has been assured.

If you would like any further assistance or guidance please contact our community resuscitation team via email: [email protected]