Placing defibrillators in phone boxes in Merton could help save lives according to a new report.

Last year, 129 people suffered cardiac arrests in Merton and although the London Ambulance Service had some of the best performance times in the country, the London-wide survival rate was just nine per cent.

A report is now suggesting using phone boxes to store defibrillators, giving quick access to the life-saving equipment while the ambulance makes its way to the scene.

Wimbledon Times:

Conservative London Assembly member Shaun Bailey, author of the Never Miss a Beat report​

Quick access to a defibrillator doubles likelihood of survival from 27 to 58 per cent.

Research in the report 'Never miss a beat - improving London's response to cardiac arrest' suggests no public location is as visible as a phone box.

The report calls on the Mayor of London to encourage communities to take up the Adopt-a-Kiosk scheme created by the Community Heartbeat Trust and BT.

The scheme, which enables communities to purchase their local phone box for £1 and install a defibrillator, has already been taken up in some areas of the UK.

The defibrillators are stored in tamper-proof boxes and unlocked with a PIN code given over the phone by a 999 operator. The intelligent machines cannot be misused as they only deliver a shock if they cannot detect a heart rate in the patient.

Conservative London Assembly member Shaun Bailey, said: “There is no question we should be making these life-saving devices as widely available as possible and where better to put them than highly-visible and easily-accessible phone boxes?

“The Adopt a Kiosk scheme is a fantastic way of getting more defibrillators into our communities.

“Better access to the right equipment and better education among the general public could ensure victims get life-saving support until the paramedics can arrive.

“This simple idea as the potential to save lives in Merton and across the capital and I will be urging the Mayor to adopt the recommendations in the report.”

The cost of installing a defibrillator is approximately £1,000. The report suggests the Mayor could offer match funding to communities who wish to take up the scheme.

Martin Render, chairman of the Community Heartbeat Trust, which backs the report, said: “We fully support the recommendations in this report. It is recognised worldwide that early CPR and defibrillation are the key to improving the survival chances of a patient who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

“It is so important we get more easily accessible defibrillators into the community and better educate people in CPR techniques. If we can teach more people to recognise what has happened, summon the ambulance service and perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation many SCA victims can be saved.”