Virgin Media O2 and OurJay Foundation, a defibrillator access & CPR awareness charity, have today announced a new partnership aimed at getting more of its defibrillators accessible 24/7, starting with stores in Rugby and Nuneaton in Warwickshire.
Since 2020, Virgin Media O2 – through its work with the British Heart Foundation – has rolled out live saving defibrillators to all store as well as 500 company vans across the UK. Multiple lives saved thanks to the roll out.
However, up until now the defibrillators have been kept within the store usable during open hours. Through this new partnership the two stores in Rugby and Nuneaton now have OurJay Foundation defibrillator cabinets installed outside, meaning the defibrillators are readily available 24/7 if they are needed, even if the O2 store is closed. In addition, these cabinets also have Daniel Baird Foundation bleed control kits in them which also have the power to save lives in an emergency.
Alongside keeping the defibrillators protected from the elements, cabinets are registered on ‘The Circuit’ – the UK’s national defibrillator network – meaning when someone calls 999, emergency service operators can direct people to them in an instant. Since January 2023, Virgin Media O2 defibrillators registered on The Circuit have been used in at least 16 cardiac emergencies.
OurJay Foundation was set up in 2022 in memory of a young man called Jamie ‘Jay’, who tragically passed away after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of just 18 years old. It campaigns and fundraises for more defibrillators in public places and CPR training. Since 2022, it has helped install over 272 defibrillators and saved at least 20 lives—a testament to the charity’s commitment to heart safety.
Every year, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK – however the survival rate is less than 1 in 10 people in the UK. With every second counting in an emergency, it’s hoped the defibrillators will make that live-saving difference if they’re used.
Alongside the work in Warwickshire, Virgin Media O2 and OurJay Foundation are now to continuing working together to explore how this can be expanded to more stores across the UK, including when new O2 stores are opened in future.
Alison Fanthom, Head of Infrastructure, Virgin Media O2, said: “At Virgin Media O2, we’re proud to have rolled out defibrillators to every O2 store and hundreds of Virgin Media vans, providing enhanced access to equipment in an emergency, which has already saved lives.
“Through our partnership with OurJay Foundation, we’re now taking this a step further, doing what we can to make our defibrillators even more accessible to the public in their time of need. Our stores in Rugby and Nuneaton are just the start, and we’re looking forward to continuing our work with OurJay to expand this work across more locations in the UK.”
Naomi, Jamie’s mum/OurJay Foundation founder:
OurJay Foundation is so proud to work alongside Virgin Media O2, in this life saving project, to make defibrillators accessible to communities. Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, any time, so 24/7 accessible defibrillators are vital in improving the survival rate. Sadly, the nearest defibrillator to where Jamie collapsed in January 2022, was locked inside a school, meaning it could not be accessed, by the bystanders trying to save his life. We look forward to continuing our work with Virgin Media O2, to ensure more defibrillators can be made 24/7 publicly accessible. We are so grateful for the support they have given us.
Alongside rolling out defibrillators, Virgin Media O2 has supported more hundreds of employees to access free CPR training, during paid working hours. Trained staff including those with portable defibrillators in vans are also registered on NHS’s Good Sam App, which means that they can be directed to emergency situations if they are nearby to help.
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