Virgin Media O2 and OurJay Foundation, a defibrillator access & CPR awareness charity, have today announced a new partnership aimed at making more of the company’s 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 put live-saving defibrillators in all its stores as well as 500 company vans across the UK. Multiple lives have been saved thanks to the scheme.
However, up until now, the defibrillators have been kept within the store meaning they’re accessible during opening hours. Through this new partnership, new OurJay Foundation defibrillator cabinets have been installed outside the O2 stores in Rugby and Nuneaton, meaning the defibrillators are now available 24/7 if they are needed. In addition, these cabinets also have Daniel Baird Foundation bleed control kits in them which can be used to save lives in an emergency.
Alongside keeping the defibrillators protected from the elements, the 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 quickly. 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. It campaigns and fundraises for more defibrillators in public places and provides CPR training. Since 2022, it has helped install over 272 defibrillators and saved at least 20 lives.
Every year, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK but 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 a live-saving difference if they’re used.
Alongside the work in Warwickshire, Virgin Media O2 and OurJay Foundation will continue working together to make more defibrillators available in more parts of the UK.
Alison Fanthom, Head of Infrastructure at 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, putting live-saving equipment onto streets up and down the country where it’s already made a real difference.
“Through our partnership with OurJay Foundation, we’re now taking this a step further and doing what we can to make our defibrillators even more accessible so we can save even more lives.”
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 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 to help if they are nearby .
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