Half of Bailiwick schools have no automatic defibrillator access

Friday 24 February 2023

10 Bailiwick schools currently have no access to an automated external defibrillator, including some where the machines that were installed are no longer in service.

The confirmation comes after the issue of St. Annes in Alderney having no defibrillator, and others in the island being unusable because they had not been serviced, was raised in the States of Guernsey by Deputy Andy Cameron.

At the time he quoted research that showed accessing a defibrillator within three to five minutes from a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%

Guernsey’s Education Committee said that it recognised the benefit of AEDs.

“While it is not something that has historically been funded by Education, several AEDs have been installed at school sites by various charities and other organisations over the years,” the spokesperson said.  

“Units have been installed at schools with particularly high levels of community use, and a number of these devices are mounted within external cabinets to provide availability for public use outside of normal school hours. 

“Ten schools, including St Anne’s in Alderney, either do not currently have AEDs or have devices that have passed the end of their serviceable lives. 

“Regarding St. Anne’s specifically, we will discuss this with relevant charity representatives and colleagues in Alderney.”

When the issue was raised in debate on Wednesday 15 February, Alderney Representative Steve Roberts expected St. John’s to take over responsible for the AEDs.

He said that the lack of one at the school was astounding and something that should be addressed “this very week”.

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Astonishment at lack of defibrillator at Alderney's school