The DHSC Community Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Fund is inviting community organisations across England to bid for a share of £1 million of government funding to buy life-saving defibrillators for community spaces like town halls, local parks and post offices.
The DHSC Community Automated External Defibrillator (CAED) Fund will support provision of 2000 Automated External Defibrillators. These will be distributed across England during 2023-2024, supporting any organisation based in England that is not eligible for the current Department of Education AED programme.
The funding for the scheme is based on a 'first come, first served' arrangement. The funding will be allocated on the following basis:
- 100 applications will be selected by DHSC to receive a fully funded AED - selection is based on areas that are most in need of AED throughout England. Applicants will be advised in mid-October and units shipped in mid-November 2023.
- 1900 applications will receive partial DHSC funding for an AED - organisations will be required to provide their own match funding of c.£750.
All applicants must be able to position the secure defibrillator cabinet outside in an area that is accessible to members of the public 24 hours per day and be able to provide an electrical power source to ensure the defibrillator cabinet light and heater operate to keep the device at the right temperature.
The fund may close early if all funding has been committed.