Photo Credit: The Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament team up with St John Scotland to install new Public Access Defibrillator outside the Parliament building
28 January 2026
The Scottish Parliament has installed a new Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) outside the public entrance to the Parliament building.
The installation is a collaboration between The Scottish Parliament and St John Scotland.
Every year, over 3000 people in Scotland suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, an event which is fatal unless CPR and defibrillation are started by bystanders within minutes.
The installation provides 24 /7 access for the public 365 days a year to the PAD.
The Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament said:
“We’re pleased to partner with St John Scotland to give the public access to a defibrillator outside the Parliament building.
“Evidence shows the chances of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest can be increased two-to-threefold by the immediate provision of bystander CPR and defibrillation so this is a very positive step which can help save lives.”
Barri Millar, Chief Operating Officer, St John Scotland said:
“St John Scotland is proud to support the Scottish Parliament with a new Public Access Defibrillator. We are committed to strengthening community resilience across Scotland and ensuring lifesaving equipment is accessible in every community.
“Together with our 'Save a Life for Scotland' partners, we continue to expand CPR awareness and increase access to defibrillators — helping save lives across the country.”
Background Details
The PAD will form part of The National Defibrillator Network Project, “The Circuit”, which is a UK-wide register of PADs. These are used by ambulance service call handlers to locate the nearestPAD and direct bystanders to it, enabling earlier defibrillation and thereby increasing the chance of survival.
Contact Details
Media information
Public information
- Telephone enquiry line: 0800 092 7500 or 0131 348 5395 (Gàidhlig)
- info@parliament.scot
- Text: 07786 209 888
- We also welcome calls using the Text Relay service or in British Sign Language through contactSCOTLAND-BSL
Social
You can also follow the Scottish Parliament on X @scotparl
Like us on Facebook for updates on news and events.
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body securely processes journalists’ data for the purpose of enabling reporting on the work of the Scottish Parliament, in line with current data protection requirements. You have the right to unsubscribe at any time. For further information, please see our Privacy Notice.