A young footballer has handed in a petition to Downing Street calling on the Government to scrap VAT from all defibrillator purchases after the device saved his life.
Jack Hurley was 19 years old and had no known heart issues when he collapsed on the football pitch in Husbands Bosworth, in Leicestershire, while playing a match in June last year.
Teammates acted quickly and used a nearby defibrillator to restart his heart before paramedics arrived – which Mr Hurley says saved his life because the next available defibrillator was 3 miles away.
“Had that defibrillator not been in the pavilion, I would not be here today”, Mr Hurley said.
Now aged 20, the North Kilworth FC player attended No 10 on Wednesday to hand in a letter signed by MPs and charities asking the Government to get VAT on defibrillators scrapped.
It was part of the Stop the Heart Restart Tax campaign which aims to make defibrillators more affordable and accessible all over the UK.
Speaking at Downing Street after handing in the petition alongside his father Colin, Mr Hurley said: “A defibrillator is not a luxury item – so why would you want VAT on something that you are not going to use unless you have to?
“It’s life-saving equipment.
“We argue that it’s like car insurance: you’re paying, hopefully not to use it, but in the event you do need to use it, it’s there.”
The petition was signed by 46 MPs, including the co-leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsey and the health spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats Jess Brown-Fuller, as well as charities like the British Heart Foundation and the British Red Cross.
“Removing VAT means we can have a lot more defibrillators in our communities, in rural communities or in big cities – you realistically want them everywhere”, Mr Hurley said
“You don’t want to be more than three of five minutes away from a defibrillator.”
The survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK is 8% – but using a defibrillator can increase the survival rate to 70% if treatment is administered within minutes.
Mr Hurley said it was also important to encourage people not to fear using the emergency device.
“A lot of people see defibrillators as a scary piece of equipment, because they don’t see them frequently”, he said.
“But it’s very easy to use: it talks you through it, there are instructions and pictures on the pads as to where to place them.
“The worst thing you can do is stand there and watch.”
The Government already provides several VAT reliefs to help organisations buy defibrillators and other first aid equipment.
But David Stockdale, CEO of the British Healthcare Trades Association which supports Mr Hurley’s campaign, said these were insufficient in improving access to defibrillators – which can cost between £800 and £2,000 without VAT.
Mr Stockdale said: “With VAT relief, the charities that have a medical purpose or aim can indeed reclaim it back.
“But if you are somebody who is raising money to have a defibrillator in your local housing estate, they would have to pay – likewise for local charities or sports association.”
Mr Stockdale said the campaigners already got in touch with the Treasury, who in turn shared concerns that scrapping the VAT would wind up increasing the prices of defibrillators.
“We’ve got letters signed by our members in retail saying that it won’t happen”, Mr Stockdale said.
“The reality is, it will save the Treasury money because if you don’t use a defibrillator and then survive a cardiac arrest, the likelihood is you will have a longer stay in hospital, and a longer stay in ICU as well.
“The cost of recovery if you don’t use a defibrillator is much higher.”
