MP taking defibrillator campaign into heart of local communities

Local MP, Graham Stuart, says substantial progress is being made by the Community Access Defibrillators for East Yorkshire (CADEY) Campaign. Having founded the campaign earlier this year, Graham welcomed the “positive steps” being made to improve the coverage, accessibility and awareness of defibrillators through the communities of Beverley and Holderness.

Working closely with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, local fundraisers and charities such as Help for Health and the HEY Smile Foundation, Graham’s first priority is to ensure that no local community is left without a potentially life-saving defibrillator.

Recent meetings of the CADEY Campaign Committee have focused upon finalising a strategy to boost local awareness and encourage community action to raise funds for the vital machines which, studies show, can significantly boost patients’ survival chances following a sudden cardiac arrest.

Graham said: “Following positive meetings with the CADEY Committee, I am pleased that we are now in a position to take the campaign into the heart of local communities. I will soon be writing to every parish council in Beverley and Holderness that features a town or village not covered by a publicly-accessible defibrillator, giving them advice on funding and installing the devices.

“The CADEY Campaign have also committed to match the funding of local communities who need a defibrillator, with the help of partners such as Help for Health and various organisations across Hull and East Yorkshire. Finally, I will be hosting a Cardiac Arrest Survival Roundtable in the coming months to develop a strategy towards improving hospital practices and outcomes for patients who have received defibrillation following a sudden cardiac arrest.”