Bracknell Forest is one of six unitary authority areas within Berkshire in southern England. It covers the three towns of Bracknell, Sandhurst and Crowthorne and also includes the areas of North Ascot, Warfield and Winkfield.
The council operates a Members Initiative Fund which allows Bracknell Forest councillors to spend up to £15,000, within their wards, supporting local groups and projects that make a difference to their local community. Ward councillors Dorothy Hayes MBE and Suzie Phillips canvassed local opinion and found there was a requirement for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) – devices that can stabilise the heart rhythms of a person having a cardiac arrest. AEDs automate the diagnosis of treatable rhythms, meaning that lay responders or bystanders are able to use them successfully with little or no training.
The council then looked for a reliable supplier that could supply AEDs at competitive prices.
Safelincs has now installed AEDs in public areas such as community centres, schools and small retailers – notably those that have a post office counter. These are delivered together with cabinets where required.
Such has been the success of the project, that Safelincs has now supplied councillors across a number of wards with more than 50 devices.
In the summer of 2014 the residents’ newsletter, which goes to every household in Bracknell Forest, contained details of the location of each AED.
In October 2015, Bracknell Forest Council won the Public Sector Organisation of the Year Award in the annual Heart Safe Awards - www.ukheartsafeawards.co.uk.
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