AMENDMENTS TO REVIEW OF DEATHS LEGISLATION BRINGS UNPRECEDENTED SCRUTINY & MAY HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR IN-HOUSE AED GOVERNACE!

Where there are workplace AEDs, Defibrillators, there are volunteer Guardians/company staff members who are responsible for the maintenance, governance, operability and statutory compliances of each unit, ensuring it is always viable for deployment.

Who is accountable if there are failings in maintenance, governance, operability and compliances through simple human error or failures in procedure and the AED is rendered inoperable and fails to resuscitate in a Cardiac Arrest resuscitation attempt as a result?

You may rightly assume the answer to that is at least two-fold, but certainly one is the Guardian.

It is now time to train Guardians in good governance, or to provide external, expert, third party support and supervision that mitigates or absolves Guardian accountability in the event of a workplace death where an AED is deployed. This important role is fulfilled by staff, who volunteer to care for and maintain a medical device, provided in a workplace solely for the preservation of life, in an ‘edge of life’ event.

Later this year brings unprecedented scrutiny and with it, the potential for heightened accountability with amendments to the Review of Deaths legislation which is effective from 9th September 2024.

‘Reforms to death certification and the introduction of medical examiners will come into force from the 9th of September 2024, when all deaths will be reviewed by either a medical examiner or a coroner, without exception.’ DoH&SC letter to the MD of Defib Plus Ltd, 24th May 2024

Stated in the Review of Deaths Guidelines to Medical Examiners and Coroners as one of the three cornerstones of the amendments –

The Three Components of Scrutiny

‘Scrutiny must comprise ……………and asking the bereaved whether they have
questions about the cause or circumstances of death’

Resuscitation does not always follow AED deployment and whether or not the unit worked, simple questions from the bereaved may initiate detailed investigations to answer those questions. Surely it is time to ensure that volunteer staff members acting as Guardians are not left vulnerable or exposed in this role.

Is it still appropriate to leave staff/guardians, untrained, unsupervised or unsupported in
this role? No.

Outsource responsibility. Outsource accountability!

Defib Plus would like to expand on this important topic. Should you find this brief outline significant, please get in touch ..

With thanks

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This information was supplied by Defib Plus Ltd. Specialists in AED Supply, Guardian Support & Supervision and Governance Training.

Their sister company Cardiac Arrest Remedial Support serves as a Corporate Mental Health Clinical Care Provider, specific to trauma, predominantly in Workplace Cardiac Arrest but also in Death, Bereavement, Critical Incidence, Threat to Life Events and Physical Violence in the workplace.

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