A public-access defibrillator that has not been checked since installation is a liability dressed as an asset. A defibrillator checklist run on a simple weekly or monthly rhythm is what keeps the device between the cabinet and the pavement actually usable in the moments that matter, and it is a task that falls to a named person, not to the manufacturer or the local authority.
Who Is Responsible for the Check
Every registered public-access AED is expected to have a designated point of contact, sometimes described as a Guardian or Responsible Person, who takes on the routine oversight of the device. This is typically a community group member, a shop or business owner, a school administrator, or a parish or borough contact — whoever agreed to host the cabinet. Guidance from organisations including Resuscitation Council UK sets out that this person should carry out regular inspections and ensure consumables are replaced before they expire, rather than assuming the device looks after itself.
What the Weekly Visual Check Actually Covers
A defibrillator checklist does not require clinical training. It is a short, repeatable visual inspection that should take a few minutes:
- Status indicator. Almost every AED shows a simple ready signal, usually a light or small screen. A steady green or tick confirms the internal self-test passed; a flashing light, red cross, or audible beep signals a fault that needs following up immediately.
- Pad and battery expiry dates. Electrode pads and batteries are dated components, typically rated for somewhere between two and five years depending on the model, and they degrade whether or not the device has ever been used. The dates printed on the packaging, not the purchase date, are what matter.
- Physical condition of the cabinet. Cracks, water ingress, a door that will not latch, or signs of tampering all compromise the device’s readiness even if the AED inside is fine.
- Accessories are present. Many units are stored with a small prep kit — scissors, a razor for chest hair, gloves, a CPR face shield. A missing prep kit costs precious seconds during an actual rescue.
- Signage and visibility. The cabinet should be clearly signed and unobstructed, so a bystander under pressure can find it without hesitation.
- The log entry itself. Every check, whatever it finds, should be recorded with a date and the checker’s initials, whether on a paper card fixed to the cabinet or in a simple digital log.
Automated Self-Tests Are Not a Substitute
Most modern AEDs run their own internal self-test on a daily, weekly, or monthly cycle, checking battery charge, pad connectivity, and internal electronics, and will flash a fault indicator if something fails. That automated layer genuinely reduces the burden on the Guardian, but it does not see a cracked cabinet, a missing prep kit, obscured signage, or a battery that is still electrically fine today but expires next month. The self-test and the human visual check catch different failure modes, and a defibrillator checklist that relies on the indicator light alone will still miss the checks that depend on eyes rather than electronics.
Building the Habit
The organisations that publish AED guidance in the UK — including Resuscitation Council UK and the British Heart Foundation — converge on the same practical points: give the check a fixed cadence, record it every time even when there is nothing to report, and register the device on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, so that automated maintenance reminders arrive as a backstop rather than relying on memory alone. None of this replaces a proper service when a fault is flagged, but it is what catches a fault before someone is standing over a collapsed person discovering it for the first time.
Why This Matters at Borough Scale
Across London’s public-access defibrillator network, the gap between a device that is technically installed and one that is genuinely rescue-ready is almost always a lapsed check, not a manufacturing fault. A short, consistent defibrillator checklist, owned by a named person and backed by a written log, is the unglamorous groundwork that determines whether a community’s AED performs on the one occasion it is needed.