Is a defibrillator mandatory?

No, a defibrillator is not legally required in most situations in the United Kingdom, unlike, for example, a smoke alarm in a rented property.

Various bodies do strongly recommend having one, especially in places where lots of people gather. A cardiac arrest can happen anywhere. And for every minute that passes without a defibrillator being deployed, the chances of survival drop by 10%.

In this article, we take a closer look at whether, and where, a defibrillator is genuinely essential.

Is a defibrillator recommended in the workplace?

Although a defibrillator isn't mandatory in the workplace either, employers are legally required to provide a safe and healthy working environment.

They must therefore offer "appropriate" first-aid provision so that employees can receive immediate help when needed. What counts as appropriate provision depends, under the law, on the circumstances of the workplace.

An employer decides for themselves which measures to take by assessing the risks within their organisation. Based on this risk assessment, the HSE (the national workplace safety regulator) recommends certain measures. The legislation comes with a checklist that can help with carrying out this assessment.

The risk assessment may show that a defibrillator is necessary to safeguard workplace safety.

Employers can determine this using the BS 8599-1 standard, the national standard for workplace first-aid provision. Since 2026, this standard has stated that in workplaces with 5 or more people present, it is appropriate to place a defibrillator that can be reached within two minutes.

The measures in the checklist and the BS 8599-1 standard are not mandatory. However, if you do follow this guidance, you can be confident that you're meeting your legal obligations.

It's also worth noting: if a business is judged to have taken insufficient appropriate measures to safeguard safety, it can be held liable in court in the event of an incident.

The Resuscitation Council UK confirms that this is a genuine consideration. In every case, the same principle applies: a cardiac arrest can happen at any time, and when it does, the impact is severe.

Furthermore, if you as an employer do provide a defibrillator, you're required to make sure instructions are available on how to deploy it.

Is a defibrillator recommended in schools?

In England, this question barely needs asking anymore. The government announced that all state-funded schools would receive a defibrillator. All schools in Northern Ireland have also recently received one.

For Scotland, it's a different story. In 2024, four in ten schools still didn't have a defibrillator. Schools in Wales aren't all equipped yet either, although the government there has offered a defibrillator to every state-funded secondary school.

All in all, having a defibrillator in schools is well worth recommending, given the large numbers of people who gather there and the serious consequences that can follow if something goes wrong.

In this article you can read more about child CPR and deploying a defibrillator on a child. 

Is a defibrillator recommended for clubs and societies?

As with other sectors: it's not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended. Generally speaking, the following applies:

• Do you have staff on the payroll? Then, as an employer, you're required to safeguard their safety through appropriate measures.

• No staff? Then the legislation above doesn't apply to you. There is, however, a general duty of care. This means that as a club or society, you must take reasonable steps to prevent harm to members or visitors.

All in all, having a defibrillator is well worth recommending for your club or society, especially where the risk is higher, for example, if you have a lot of older members. A cardiac arrest can, after all, happen anywhere.

Is a defibrillator recommended for a gym or swimming pool?

For gyms and swimming pools, the following applies:

• Gyms often have staff on the payroll. Where that's the case, gyms must comply with the employer rules explained above.

Although a defibrillator isn't mandatory, it's certainly recommended. While exercise is generally healthy, it can, in rare cases, pose an additional risk for people with an existing heart condition. Should an incident occur, you'll want to be prepared.

• Ukactive, the trade body for the UK fitness and leisure sector, published specific defibrillator guidance together with the British Heart Foundation, advising gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres on placing, registering and maintaining defibrillators.

• For swimming pools in particular, a risk assessment may well show that staff need additional training, for example around drowning and defibrillator deployment. 

Is a defibrillator recommended in a shop, restaurant or pub?

The same applies here too: a defibrillator isn't a legal requirement, but it's strongly recommended. Bear the following in mind:

• Do you have staff on the payroll? Then you must safeguard their safety in line with the rules above. In a busy venue, a risk assessment is likely to show that a defibrillator is worthwhile.

• No staff? Then the general duty of care still applies. You need to make sure visitors are safe on your premises. Especially where you have a lot of visitors, a defibrillator is strongly recommended.

Is a defibrillator recommended at events?

At events, the same principle applies: it's not mandatory, but it's very strongly recommended given the large crowds involved.

• Here too, if you have staff on the payroll, you must safeguard their safety. The authorities also strongly advise taking the public into account in this respect.

The HSE further recommends having enough medical support and ambulances on site when organising an event.

The "Purple Guide" is generally used as the handbook for organising safe events. It provides extensive advice on event safety.

Using this handbook, events are divided into tiers based on risk and scale. Safety measures are then recommended accordingly. Having a defibrillator, or at least knowing where the nearest one is, can be part of those measures.

Although these measures aren't legally required, a duty of care still applies in this case too. If you fail to take appropriate measures, a court may, depending on the circumstances, consider this negligent.

Meanwhile, Martyn's Law will place even greater emphasis on safety from 2027 onwards. This new legislation applies to certain public premises and events and is intended to reduce the risk of terrorism. A defibrillator still won't be mandatory under this law, but is likely to become part of safety planning regardless.

Is it worth arranging a defibrillator for your neighbourhood?

Although many organisations choose to install a defibrillator on their premises, this still isn't mandatory anywhere in the UK. It is possible, however, to register your defibrillator with The Circuit. Doing so means all UK ambulance services can locate your defibrillator and direct bystanders straight to it.

This helps ensure that:

• More people survive a cardiac arrest. The chances of survival drop by around 10% per minute without help. 

• You can reach a defibrillator quickly wherever you are in the neighbourhood. For that, you need a nationwide network of defibrillators that are always available and in working order.

Is a defibrillator recommended at home?

No one can require you to have a defibrillator at home.

Still, in certain situations it can be a good idea to consider one, for example when:

• You or someone in your household has an increased risk of heart problems.

• You live in a retirement complex or a building with many older residents.

• You'd simply like extra peace of mind.

Did you know that around 80% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in or around the home? That's exactly why it can be valuable to have a defibrillator in your immediate living environment.

Want to know more about how much a defibrillator for the home costs? Then also read this article, in which we explain everything about the costs involved in having a defibrillator in your home.

All situations at a glance

What can we expect in future?

At present, defibrillators are still barely mandatory anywhere by law. Even so, it's entirely possible that this could change in future. Much like fire extinguishers in public buildings, defibrillators can make the difference between life and death. By making sure they're available in as many places as possible, you increase someone's chances of survival following a cardiac arrest.

It's therefore no surprise that several Private Members' Bills have already been introduced in Parliament calling for a legal requirement to provide defibrillators in some facilities, for example public buildings, sports facilities and schools. Although none of these have led to legislation so far, the issue continues to receive attention.

Defibrillators also remain high on the agenda of organisations such as the British Heart Foundation and the Resuscitation Council UK. The British Heart Foundation, for example, recently announced it is making 400 free defibrillators available, prioritising the areas of the UK with the greatest shortages.

At the very least, it's reasonable to expect that people will become even more aware of the importance of defibrillators in future. Whether that will also lead to further legislation remains unclear. Ultimately, though, everyone should be able to have access to a defibrillator, not only those with the means to buy one themselves.

That's exactly why Pulse4all is committed to this cause. By offering defibrillators for a low monthly fee, including maintenance, we aim to make defibrillators more accessible.

Legislation and regulation across the United Kingdom can differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The above applies, at the very least, to England and Wales.