A new report concludes that installing defibrillators in Harrow’s phone boxes could save lives.

The study, entitled Never Miss a Beat, suggests installing the life-saving equipment in the case of someone suffering a cardiac arrest on the borough’s streets.

Report author, Conservative London Assembly member Shaun Bailey, argues there is no better place to house such equipment than the highly-visible booths.

“There is no question we should be making these life-saving devices as widely available as possible,” he said.

“Better access to the right equipment and better education among the general public could ensure victims get life-saving support until paramedics arrive.

“This simple idea has the potential to save lives in Harrow and across the capital, and I will be urging the mayor to adopt the recommendations in the report.”

The study calls on the Mayor of London to encourage communities to take up the Adopt a Kiosk scheme, which enables them to purchase their local phone box for just £1 and install a defibrillator in it.

Harrow Times:

The defibrillators are stored in tamper-proof boxes and unlocked with a PIN code given over the phone by a 999 operator in the case of an emergency. The intelligent machines cannot be misused as they only deliver an electric shock if they cannot detect a heartbeat in the patient.

Despite the London Ambulance Service having one of the best performance ratings in the country, survival rates for cardiac arrests on London streets remain as low as nine per cent across the city.

Having quick access to a defibrillator gives a 76 per cent chance of restoring a patient’s heartbeat and doubles their chances of survival.

However, just 73 people out of more than 10,000 who suffered a cardiac arrest last year were treated with a public access defibrillator.