The Circuit

Yes, there are two different types of account you can choose from when registering.

Under a Guardian account, you can register up to 5 defibrillators, for 5 or more, you can register under an Organisation account.

No, your defibrillator doesn't need to be available 24 hours a day to register it on The Circuit.

You can state when the defibrillator is accessible and set the appropriate times, dates and date ranges when the defibrillator is available or unavailable when registering your device.

The Circuit is working with ambulance services across the UK so they will be able to access essential information about defibrillator locations from one centralised database. Previously, defibrillators were all registered with the local ambulance service who had separate databases.

If your defibrillator is already registered with the ambulance service, you will still need to register on The Circuit to ‘claim it’. This is important so that your defibrillator can continue to be used by ambulance services in an emergency.

When registering your defibrillator, you will be asked to enter your address and once selected, you will see a list of defibrillators on the Circuit in your area. If you have previously registered your device with the ambulance service, it will appear on this list and you can select it to 'claim it'. This will auto-populate all fields with the information you have provided to the ambulance service previously. We recommend you review this information to ensure it's up to date.

As a defibrillator guardian, you are responsible for keeping the information about your defibrillator on The Circuit up to date, including access hours, location and status of your defibrillator. To help with this, The Circuit will send reminders every 90 days to inspect your defibrillator and update the status of your defibrillator.

When you register your defibrillator, you are asked to enter the pad expiry dates. You will receive a reminder email when your pads are due to expire so that you can replace them. Once you have replaced the pads you can then update the pad expiry date for your device on The Circuit.

You will receive an email to inform you when your defibrillator has been deployed by the ambulance service in an emergency. Please note, the device may not actually have been used, but you will still be required to check it in person and make it emergency ready again.

For more information about defibrillator maintenance, read our guide and use our checklist to help you perform your inspections. If you need replacement pads or batteries, browse our range of defibrillator consumables.

The Circuit is primarily to help defibrillator Guardians register their devices and make sure they’re ready to be used in an emergency. Once registered on The Circuit, the defibrillator is visible to NHS ambulance services who can direct callers to its location so it can be used to help save lives.

By signing up to The Circuit you are making a clear decision to share its lifesaving defibrillator in situations where a person’s life is in danger. During an emergency call, the ambulance service despatcher uses a simple series of questions to determine the most appropriate response and the level of urgency. If CPR is needed, they will instruct the caller on how to do this as well as asking if there is another bystander who can collect the nearest defibrillator. The ambulance service despatcher can see nearby defibrillators on their screen if they are registered on The Circuit. There is no practical way of informing your organisation, and more importantly your people on the ground where the defibrillator is located, that it is needed immediately to help save a life. The Circuit have virtually no examples of defibrillators being stolen although it is possible. Many organisations are more concerned that not making a defibrillator available in an emergency carries considerable reputational risk

By connecting your defibrillator to the Circuit you are ensuring that the ambulance services are aware of the defibrillator and its location. This may involve a member of the public being directed to that organisation to collect a defibrillator but it is just as, or possibly more likely, that the call would be originating from an employee, customer or contractor to your organisation and that the ambulance service despatcher would then be directing the caller to get a bystander to collect it for use inside your organisation. Joining The Circuit ensures that the investment in defibrillators isn’t wasted in the event that someone in that organisation needs it.

No, The Circuit is the same as the 14 different schemes that ambulance services previously ran independently, where individuals and organisations who connected their defibrillators to the ambulance services, and now the Circuit, retain full responsibility for their property.

No, however some organisations are expected to have appropriate equipment in place, and this may include defibrillators. This is to provide appropriate care for people they are responsible for, e.g., residents in a care home or patients in a doctors or dentist surgery. These organisations are expected to understand their liabilities and comply with relevant legislation. If an organisation is in doubt about their liabilities regarding defibrillator provision, they should obtain appropriate professional or legal advice.

Once connected, The Circuit will notify guardians when to check their defibrillators, when to replace pads and, when one of your defibrillators is deployed by the ambulance service. This enables the organisation to check that it has been returned, cleaned and any consumables replaced. This increases the likelihood that any obligation to your employees, customers and visitors can be met. If the defibrillator is not operational for a short period of time, e.g., if its damaged or the building is temporarily closed, you can update the status of your defibrillator on the Circuit and indicate the reason why. If the defibrillator is to be permanently unavailable, e.g., business closure, then you can decommission it and record the reason and it will no longer be live on The Circuit or the ambulance service system.

It is entirely down to the organisation concerned and the situation. The defibrillator can be handed over to a bystander directed to collect it by the ambulance service, but many organisations have trained first aiders and fully support them to help save lives in their community.

In most cases defibrillators are returned to the place they were collected from by the person who originally retrieved it or another bystander. Occasionally if the defibrillator has been used either successfully or unsuccessfully, it may be retained by the ambulance service so they can retrieve important data relating to the patient treated. In these cases, the ambulance service will return it as quickly as possible and normally within a day or two.

If for any reason the defibrillator is not returned, the ambulance services and other appropriate agencies, such as the police, will be able to track down the owner through the details registered on the Circuit.

We would recommend that defibrillators are labelled with relevant contact details.

This is entirely dependent on its location. In a very busy place, such as a shopping centre or major transport hub, a defibrillator may be deployed monthly and used several times a year. Many defibrillators have been in situ for several years without use.

The defibrillator and all its consumable parts remain the responsibility of the organisation. This includes replacing pads if they have been used or if they expire.

Need replacement pads or battery? Browse our range of defibrillator consumables

Normally it will be a member of the public. Ambulance services have their own more capable defibrillators, but it can take precious time for them to respond. Organisations making their defibrillators available through the Circuit are helping bystanders and first aiders to provide a potentially lifesaving “shock” minutes before the ambulance service arrives. Each minute earlier that shock is delivered significantly increases the chances of a person surviving a cardiac arrest.

Most organisations are not legally required to have a defibrillator. If they have one and it is deployed to save a life, the Circuit can help to ensure that its emergency ready and returned to being ready to deploy again in the shortest possible time. If in doubt, the company should seek specific professional or legal advice, however it is very unlikely that a normal organisation making its defibrillator available for community response would find itself legally challenged.