A life-saving defibrillator cabinet in the centre of Bath is out of action, and has been for nearly a year, after the defibrillator it contained went missing.
Photo courtesy of the Community Heartbeat Trust
The specialist device, which gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest to someone who is in cardiac arrest, went missing last year from the locked cabinet next to Tesco Express on Westgate Buildings in Bath.
The defibrillator was one of the first to be installed by B&NES Council in the centre of Bath in 2015.
The site has since been handed over to the charity Community Heartbeat Trust to manage.
The cabinet has had a troubled past, as around 18 months ago the defibrillator unit inside was reported missing but was then returned.
The cabinet has not been operational for nearly a year now as the automated external defibrillator (AED) valued at over £1,000 has again been removed and not returned.
The South Western Ambulance Service (SWAST) has been informed of the situation and are not presently able to direct callers to the location in the event of an emergency.
The latest disappearance of the defibrillator has not been linked to being used during an emergency, nor had the locked cabinet been damaged or vandalised, so it’s unknown how the device was removed.
If anybody has any information on its whereabouts, contact Mark Hayward at B&NES Council on 01225 396975 or the Community Heartbeat Trust on 01440 784411.
