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Equal access to defibrillators can save lives says Abena Oppong-Asare MP

We all know having access to life-saving defibrillators saves lives. The issue is not their design but their location and public awareness about what they are and how to use them.

Having access to a life-saving defibrillator depends on where you live. Today, I called on the Government to address this cruel unfairness to save lives. That was my message in my Westminster Hall debate on public access to Defibrillators.

Research from the Resuscitation Council UK shows that access to defibrillators, or AEDs, is not fairly distributed across England. Each year, there are 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK, with less than one in ten surviving. Whilst immediate CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival, defibrillators are used in less than one in ten cases. If you have a cardiac arrest and have access to a defibrillator within a minute, have a 90% chance of survival.

According to the BMJ, access to a defibrillator varies widely by location:

  • 140 per 100,000 people in Swansea
  • 61 per 100,000 people in London
  • 2 per 100,000 people in Birmingham

The issue was highlighted to me by the experience of my constituent, Bonnie McGhee, who works on the cardiology unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Bonnie sadly lost her father to cardiac arrest and has since successfully raised funds for a defibrillator in his memory.

Access to a defibrillator may have saved his life. Bonnie successfully fundraised for a defibrillator in memory of her father.

To save lives, defibrillators must be in a well-signposted location, unlocked and easy to find so that members of the community can access them immediately in an emergency. They must be maintained and ready for use. Information about defibrillator locations is hard to come by. People do not know where to find them and how to use them. The Circuit is a national database of defibrillators but it is incomplete, meaning that emergency services may not be able to direct someone to save a life.

In my debate today I said “Knowing where a defibrillator is and how to use one saves lives. Learning simple resuscitation skills can make all the difference in an emergency. Today, I’m calling on Ministers to listen and help save lives.”

You can read my full speech here and watch it here.

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Age UK Bexley Visit to Parliament

It was wonderful to meet the team from Age UK Bexley this month after their Parliament tour. It was encouraging to see such a great turnout and to discuss their work and the support they provide to older people in Erith and Thamesmead.

As always, please get in touch if you live in Erith & Thamesmead and would like me to arrange a tour. You can contact me via email on abena.oppongasare.mp@parliament.uk. 

You can also see my social media post about this visit below or here.

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Bexley Volunteer Excellence Awards

It was a pleasure to meet the outstanding community volunteers at the Bexley Volunteer Excellence Awards this month. It was a wonderful evening at the Exchange Erith, hearing inspiring stories of volunteer work across Bexley.

I was also honoured to hand out the ‘Youth Volunteer Awards’ and to celebrate everyone’s great achievements in the last year. It was a fitting way to end Volunteers Week 2023. Congratulations to all the winners.

You can see my social media post about the event below or here.

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Solus Repair Centre Visit

I was very pleased to be able to visit Solus Repair Centre in Erith earlier this month.

I particularly enjoyed meeting young people from the apprenticeship programme and discovering all the opportunities available to develop technical skills and expertise in the sector.

You can see my social media post about the visit below or here.

Photos

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ULEZ Expansion Update

Thank you to all constituents who have taken the time to write to me about the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) London-wide expansion.  

I recently contacted the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to raise concerns about how the current proposals to extend the ULEZ will affect constituents of Erith and Thamesmead, many of whom do not have good links to public transport.

I welcomed the £110m for the new scrappage scheme to support Londoners on lower incomes, disabled Londoners, charities and micro-businesses as a welcome starting point. However, many of my constituents, including struggling families and businesses, are not covered by the scrappage scheme. I therefore strongly encouraged the Mayor to review of the scrappage scheme to support small businesses and to undertake an assessment of what additional support can be provided to families.  

I will continue to monitor the impact of ULEZ expansion in Erith and Thamesmead, and pass on my constituent’s views to the Mayor directly. 

Please find below my letter to the Mayor of London. 

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Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla  

As the Member of Parliament for Erith and Thamesmead, I send my congratulations to King Charles III and Queen Camilla for their successful Coronation this month. 

It was great to see so many people get involved from across the community, including with street parties and events to celebrate this historic occasion. I was grateful to join a reception for the King and Queen before their Coronation and meet with so many people doing important work across the United Kingdom.  

I hope everyone in Erith and Thamesmead and across the country had a great Coronation weekend with family and friends.  

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Stephen Lawrence Day 2023

It was a privilege this month to be invited by the Stephen Lawrence Foundation to attend the Stephen Lawrence 30th Anniversary Memorial Service. This was a significant and inspirational occasion as we cherished Stephen’s memory and came together to spread a message of hope and change.

Those of us who were growing up in South East London at the time of Stephen’s murder know we have come a long way. However, we all know that we have so much further still to go. It is important that we all come together to honour Stephen’s life and commit to making sure the next 30 years are meaningfully different from the last.

I was also pleased to join Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE and Keir Starmer at their in-conversation event to discuss Stephen’s legacy and the great work of the Stephen Lawrence Foundation. It was especially great to hear about what they have been doing to help young people and what they plan to do in the future to inspire a more equitable, inclusive society.

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Visit to Discovery Primary School

On 21st April, I was delighted to visit Discovery Primary School and meet the newly formed Junior Leadership Team. The students took me on a tour before asking me lots of insightful questions about my life as an MP.

I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and ambition of the students in the Junior Leadership Team and I am sure they all have a bright future ahead.

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My April Surgery and an Update on Casework

My office continues to receive hundreds of emails a month on many important issues effecting constituents in Erith and Thamesmead.  

This month I held another surgery, and I was deeply saddened to hear of the experiences my constituents are facing on a wide range of issues.

Currently food prices are soaring, and people’s rent and mortgages continue to increase. I receive a large amount of casework which makes clear what impact the cost-of-living crisis and 13 years of a Conservative government is having on people’s lives.   

For all those who are struggling, I continue to share my Cost-of-Living booklet to help them know where to access support when needed. The link to the booklet is here: https://www.abenaoppongasare.com/cost-of-living/ 

For those who would like a surgery appointment with me, they are always welcome to contact my office who will be able to add you to the next available surgery.

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Visit to Discovery Primary School

I was delighted to visit Discovery Primary School and meet the newly formed Junior Leadership Team. The students took me on a tour before asking me lots of insightful questions about my life as an MP.

I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and ambition of the students in the Junior Leadership Team and I am sure they all have a bright future ahead.

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