Defibrillators: managing an AED (United Kingdom)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For anyone who has installed, or is thinking of installing, a defibrillator in a workplace, a sports facility, a public venue or a community setting: employers, operators, associations. There is no legal duty in the United Kingdom to provide an AED, and this kit says so plainly: it holds the first-aid needs assessment, which is the one genuine statutory duty, and then registration on The Circuit, readiness checks, pad and battery expiry, and end of life for both batteries and the unit. Cadences not fixed by law are flagged as recommendation or as the manufacturer’s instruction. It does not cover CPR training or the choice of model.
Questions about this product?
Ask what is in the manuals, how often the maintenance is due and what it takes to do it.
What it already has at hand
- No manual on this page
- 7 planned checks, the most frequent every 18 months since the last job
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 12/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Germany this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
Replacing the AED battery
Battery life depends on the model and runs from two to seven years according to the manufacturer: the date to trust is the one on the battery itself, confirmed by the unit’s status indicator. The reminder here is set to twenty-four months, the bottom of the range manufacturers quote, and should be lengthened where the model’s datasheet allows it. No regulation sets a cadence. The job is within reach of the device manager, who must also keep battery and unit within the environmental conditions the manual states.
every 24 months since the last jobRecommendedIstruzioni del fabbricanteUnited Kingdom only - 02
End of life of the defibrillator unit
When the unit is retired it cannot go into general waste: it is electrical and electronic equipment and must go to a separate collection route. Whether it is handled as ordinary WEEE or as an active medical device depends on the case, and the classification should be agreed with the supplier or the licensed operator before collection: the legal dossier flags this point as low confidence and does not settle it. The burden sits with the organisation holding the unit, which should obtain written evidence of the disposal.
continuous checkRecommendedWaste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3113)United Kingdom only - 03
Replacing the AED pads
Pads carry an expiry date printed on the packaging and are replaced as the manufacturer specifies: depending on the model the typical life runs from eighteen to thirty months, and we use the shortest figure here because an early replacement costs nothing while a late one can cost everything. They must also be replaced immediately after any use, even where no shock was delivered. No regulation sets the interval: putting the date printed on the pack into the agenda is the only reliable method. The device manager can do this without a technician.
every 18 months since the last jobRecommendedIstruzioni del fabbricante; guidance MHRA e Resuscitation Council UKUnited Kingdom only - 04
End of life of the defibrillator battery
What triggers this rule is the battery replacement. Distributors of portable batteries must take back waste portable batteries at no charge, and producers fund their collection and recycling through the compliance schemes: so an exhausted AED battery goes back to a collection point free of charge. Small distributors supplying less than thirty-two kilograms of portable batteries a year are exempt from the take-back duty. Under no circumstances does the battery belong in general waste.
continuous checkLegal obligationWaste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/890) reg. 31United Kingdom onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 05
Readiness check of the defibrillator
The check means looking at the unit’s status indicator, the condition of the cabinet and the expiry dates of pads and battery, then recording the result. The practice recommended in the United Kingdom is weekly: the deadline here is monthly because the agenda works in months, so anyone following the recommendation will log several checks between deadlines. No law sets an interval; the check is done by staff the device manager nominates, and the written evidence is what counts if the AED were ever found unusable when needed.
continuous check, confirm every 1 monthsRecommendedResuscitation Council UK / St John Ambulance, best practice (nessuna cadenza fissata per legge)United Kingdom only - 06
Assess the first-aid provision needed
The employer must provide first-aid equipment and facilities that are adequate and appropriate in the circumstances, and those circumstances are established through a needs assessment. The Regulations do not name defibrillators: it is the assessment that decides whether an AED is warranted, looking at risks, footfall, distance from emergency help and lone working. The yearly review suggested here is practice, not a statutory interval, and in any case the assessment should be redone when activities, sites or headcount change. The assessment is the employer’s to make, with advice if needed.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationHealth and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 (SI 1981/917) reg. 3(1)United Kingdom onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 07
Register the AED on The Circuit
The Circuit is the national defibrillator database that ambulance services consult: registering the unit when it is installed, and keeping location, access and availability up to date, is what allows a 999 call handler to send a bystander to it. This is not a legal duty but the recommendation of Resuscitation Council UK and the British Heart Foundation, and no penalty attaches to it. It falls to whoever manages the device — company, organisation or community group — and the six-monthly review suggested here is there to confirm the published details are still true.
continuous check, confirm every 6 monthsRecommendedResuscitation Council UK / British Heart Foundation, guidance on defibrillators (raccomandazione, non obbligo)United Kingdom onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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