Agenda item

Consideration was given to a report which sought approval of the creation of a new scheme to provide community accessible defibrillators, using existing funds from the Community Grants Programme.

The proposed scheme was outlined in Section 2 of the report and was summarised to Members.  The report also contained details of the eligibility criteria, application process and how the Scheme, if approved, would be promoted.

In order to finance the scheme, funds would be allocated from the existing Community Grants Scheme Earmarked Reserve. No additional budget pressure would occur.

The scheme cost of equipment and installation for 30 sites was £40,800. The Council would meet up to 80% of this cost, with 20% to be funded by each location. The Council would incur the full £40,800 up-front expenditure and recover the 20% from each location prior to installation. The net impact on the Community Grants Scheme Earmarked Reserve would be £32,640

This would leave £154,754 available to deliver the Small, Large and Match Funding Grant schemes during 2017/2018.

Debate ensued with all Members acknowledging the merits of the scheme and how it supported the Council’s commitment to assist our communities to assist themselves.  The common device across the District approach was also welcomed and would be of assistance to, and support the work of, the first responders. Expectation was that the scheme would be prove popular.

Assurance was sought and received that the duty to maintain any device purchased and installed through this scheme, would be the responsibility of the applicant.  This was contained within the terms and conditions of the grant funding.  Furthermore all communities that received a defibrillator would be required to complete monitoring. This would include keeping a record of the number of uses and maintenance logs.

Assurance was also sought and received that once installed the emergency services and local communities would be made aware of their existence and locations.  Officers advised that each device would be registered with the East Midlands Ambulance service and loaded into their database.  The scheme would be promoted on the Council’s website together with an interactive map, showing their locations and on installation, the cost of the device, including an awareness / training session for up to 12 members of the community. 

In response to some scenarios cited by Members wherein communities had purchased (by others means) a defibrillator device and the units had either not been registered, or were in-accessible either due to their location or cabinet type, and therefore not being put to best use, assurance was offered by Officers that this would not be the case with devices purchased under this Scheme.  It was re-iterated that devices would be registered with EMAS, all cabinets would be in accessible locations, on the outside wall of buildings and accessed by a pin code issued on dialling the emergency services making them also secure from theft or misuse.  Officers indicated there may be ways this scheme could assist those communities whom had already purchased a device but needed help registering it, or a more appropriate cabinet for example.

Whist not detracting from the proposed Scheme’s value to the community, some Members questioned whether in fact the Council should be providing such a service.  It felt outside of the Council’s core business, which some Members suggested should be the focus, particularly those core services which were under performing.  The role of the CCGs and health charities was questioned, and there was concern that if the district was covered by a defibrillator scheme, the emergency services would be diverted elsewhere. 

In responding, it was stressed by Officers that the ambulance service, was an East Midlands wide service and therefore it was common practice for local crews to attend incidents in other districts and counties, this practice would change as a result of this Scheme.   The Council was already funding such devices through its other funding streams on an ad hoc basis.  This proposal aimed to ensure best value for the devices and thus make better use of the limited funding monies the Council had available to communities, the Scheme also facilitated a level of control around citing, ensuring they were accessible and allowed the council to gather statistics on usage and impact.  CCGs did not widely fund community defibrillators and they were seen very much as a local resource.  Health charities were often nation-wide and would therefore not fund a district wide rollout.

Whilst other Members were in agreement that the scheme did sit in the health arena, they were of the view that this was a community project and that the District Council had duties to support, promote and protect the well-being of its residents.

RESOLVED that:

(a)     the launch of the Community Defibrillator Scheme be approved;

(b)     the use of funds from the Community Grants Scheme Earmarked Reserve be approved; and

(c)     the Enterprising Communities Team Manager be delegated to arrange the specific details of delivery for this project in partnership with LIVES.