The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has partnered with Ordnance Survey (OS) in a new data scheme that is set to improve the national defibrillators database.
BHF will use OS data to more accurately map ‘The Circuit’ used by ambulance teams across the UK.
Less than 5 per cent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests receive bystander defibrillation and the survival rate is below 10 per cent.
This is in part because tens of thousands of defibrillators are unknown to ambulance services.
The Circuit maps and geo references defibrillators, synchronising with the emergency services’ dispatch system every 60 seconds to provide the location of the nearest defibrillator.
The BHF now has access to more accurate data, including Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRN), to locate a property and allow people to register defibrillators as quickly as possible.
Ambulance teams will now be able to locate a defibrillator within a single block of flats or on the outside of the large building thanks to the scheme.
Judy O’Sullivan, Director of Innovation in Health Programmes at the British Heart Foundation, said:
“The Circuit is a vital tool in our fight to improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
“The support of Ordnance Survey in improving The Circuit has been invaluable, both as a trusted and reliable data source and utilising their expertise in mapping.”
The East Midlands Ambulance Service supported the BHF in accessing the OS datasets by putting in place a Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) contractor licence for BHF to use on their behalf.
The license, issued on behalf of the ambulance trust, granted the BHF and their technology partner free access to a range of OS datasets, including OS’ AddressBase.
Updated weekly, AddressBase in the most comprehensive address data available, with more than 39 million addresses and UPRN properly level co-ordinates.
Neil Spencer, Emergency Operations Centre Manager at East Midlands Ambulance Service, said:
“When we receive a call for someone who has stopped breathing, an ambulance is dispatched immediately and at the same time our 999 Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs) will advise the caller how to perform CPR.
“Making use of technology means our EMDs can see the location and availability of nearby defibrillators and if there is someone available at the scene, our EMD will provide directions to collect the defibrillator.”
John Kimmance, Managing Director of National Mapping Services at OS, added:
“We are humbled to support a critical, national service that can make a difference between life and death.
“Our authoritative data and expert support have allowed BHF to create more than just a map.
“This is an intelligent database underpinned by a highly accurate addressing referencing system that allows the ambulance service to instantly identify tens of thousands of defibrillators.
A spokesperson for the BHF said:
“Registering your defibrillator is simple and it could save a life, as well as being regularly checked and maintained. Join the fight to improve survival rates by registering your defib here: https://www.thecircuit.uk”
