Melksham defibrillator unavailable in emergency due to council registration error

A defibrillator outside Melksham’s fire station could not be used during a medical emergency earlier this year – because it wasn’t registered on the national system used by ambulance services to locate life-saving equipment.

In February, a resident tried to access the defibrillator – which is managed by Melksham Town Council – following a serious medical incident involving a family member. However, when they called 999, South Western Ambulance Service was unable to locate the equipment. Instead, the nearest defibrillator shown to the emergency dispatcher was just under half a mile away, at the Community Campus.

The resident contacted Melksham News to raise concerns after their family member died.

Following the incident, the Melksham News began investigating why the fire station defibrillator could not be accessed at the time. It was discovered that the defibrillator was not registered on The Circuit – the national defibrillator network used by the South Western Ambulance Service to locate devices in an emergency. Instead, it was listed on Community Heartbeat, a separate system.

Melksham News contacted the council, who initially said it was ‘not required’ for a defibrillator to be registered on The Circuit, but subsequently confirmed it had now been registered.

A spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service said, “Like all other ambulance trusts in England, we use The Circuit – the national defibrillator network that provides ambulance services with vital information about defibrillators across the UK so that in crucial moments, they can be accessed quickly to help save lives.

“As of 1st May 2025, the defibrillator located outside Melksham Fire Station has now been registered on The Circuit and is listed as being active and available on Defib Finder. We encourage all communities, businesses and education facilities to register their public-access defibrillators on The Circuit.”

Further concerns

It was also revealed by Melksham News that on the Community Heartbeat website, the fire station defibrillator was listed as ‘requires attention’.

A spokesperson for South Western Ambulance Service said that when equipment has this status, they do not use it and that call handlers advise residents to use another nearby defibrillator instead.

When initially contacted, the council said that the requires attention status “does not mean it is out of service” – which raised concerns about whether the council fully understood how defibrillator systems work in practice.

The council is also responsible for maintaining several other defibrillators across the town including those at the Assembly Hall, the Riverside Centre, the Water Meadow, Forest Road Store and King George V Pavillion.

In response to the investigation and questions raised by the Melksham News, the council issued a statement outlining changes to its practice.

The statement said, “Melksham Town Council understands the importance of ensuring that every defibrillator in our community is properly maintained, registered, and available for use in emergencies. Public confidence in these systems is critical, and we welcome the opportunity to clarify the steps the council has taken.

“We acknowledge that there has been a learning curve as national systems for defibrillator registration and emergency use have evolved. However, the council has consistently acted in good faith and with public safety as its priority. As the standards for defibrillator registration have changed, we have taken steps to align our practices accordingly.

“We recognise on learning that if a defibrillator is marked as ‘requires attention’, the ambulance service may not direct callers to it during an emergency. This highlights the need for ongoing review and clarity in how these devices are monitored and reported. We take this very seriously and are working to ensure that all devices registered under the council’s responsibility are actively maintained and fully operational and that their status accurately reflects their readiness.

“The council originally registered defibrillators with the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) in line with best practices at the time. However, we were made aware that The Circuit – the national defibrillator network used directly by ambulance services – is now the central platform for ensuring real-time visibility in emergencies. Upon receiving that guidance, we took swift action in May 2025 to register our devices with The Circuit to ensure they are fully integrated into the emergency response system.”