20 May, 2026
SHARE
ukactive has published new guidance on defibrillators to help fitness and leisure operators deliver life-saving support for anyone who suffers a cardiac arrest.
The guidance has been developed with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and forms part of ukactive’s commitment to support gyms, swimming pools, leisure centres and other fitness facilities to further improve safety and standards.
A defibrillator is a device used to deliver a controlled electrical shock to the heart to get it beating in a normal rhythm when someone is in cardiac arrest.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates in the UK remain low, with fewer than one in 10 people surviving. However, rapid defibrillation within a few minutes of collapse can significantly increase survival rates.
The new resource, titled ‘Guidance on Defibrillator Provision in Physical Activity Settings’, provides practical advice on installing, registering, and maintaining a defibrillator, as well as training staff and maximising the devices’ life-saving impact in the physical activity sector.
It has been informed and approved by ukactive’s Standards and Legislation Committee, which features leading experts from operators of all types and sizes.
It is designed for operators to use as a framework to develop policies that consider the layout, activities, and risk profile of their facility, forming a key part of their risk management and emergency response plans.
There are many examples of staff at gyms, pools, and leisure centres using a defibrillator to save the life of someone in cardiac arrest, and the guidance includes three case studies from operators about their approach.
Fitness and leisure facilities also provide an important location for nearby community access to defibrillators, as 80% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the home where there are less likely to be defibrillators.
They can support more people by ensuring their defibrillator is housed in an external cabinet, so it is always available to the public and registered with the ambulance services through The Circuit. The Circuit is the UK’s national defibrillator network, developed by BHF in partnership with the Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance, NHS England, Association of Ambulance Service Chief Executives, and Save a Life Cymru.
It provides a single, central database that maps the location, availability and access information of defibrillators across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Cameron Saunders, CEO of ukactive, said: “Providing access to a defibrillator can be priceless in an emergency and we regularly hear stories of heroes in the UK’s gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools using CPR and a defibrillator to save someone’s life.
“Our new guidance has been developed with experts to help ensure more operators are fully informed about these life-saving devices and supported to install and maintain them.
“Our members do so much for community health, but this is a huge opportunity to provide emergency support within their local area too, by registering a defibrillator with The Circuit.”
Simon Dunn, Head of The Circuit Operations at the BHF, said: “We’re grateful to ukactive for developing this important guidance for their members. Having fast and easy access to a defibrillator can be the difference between life and death.
“A cardiac arrest is the ultimate medical emergency and can happen to anyone at any time, so having easily locatable defibrillators registered on The Circuit is vital. Without the defibrillator being registered, ambulance services will be unable to point a bystander in the right direction, potentially losing precious minutes.
“Fewer than one in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in this country. However, timely CPR and defibrillation can more than double survival chances. This is why updated guidance ensuring defibrillators are accessible and visible to ambulance services is a profoundly positive thing that may save lives.”
The guidance is free to access for all – to register just click here.
To register your defibrillator with The Circuit, click here.
