The new HEART Pocket defibrillator from St John Ambulance could be a game-changer for community first responders
Tuesday, 14th April, 2026
Gareth Barker, Head of Event Healthcare at St John Ambulance
When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, the first person on scene is often not always a paramedic. Across the UK, thousands of community first responders (CFRs) answer the call before the ambulance arrives, reaching patients in those critical minutes. One of the most common emergencies they are met with is cardiac arrest, where survival chances fall by around 10% for every minute without CPR and defibrillation.
When responding to an emergency, CFRs can find themselves navigating stairwells, narrow corridors, crowded shopping centres and even open fields, all whilst carrying a response bag full of essential, life-saving kit.
An essential part of that kit is a defibrillator, and though they save lives, they can also be bulky and heavy. But that doesn’t have to be the case. The new HEART Pocket defibrillator from St John Ambulance weighs just 700g, including its battery and electrode pads, and is small enough to fit in a pocket. This compact device lightens the load for a CFR which means they can move faster, cutting down critical seconds when reaching a patient. What’s more, because it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, it’s always in reach, ready to deploy on arrival at the scene.
A device that’s there for you
With clear step-by-step voice guidance and CPR prompts, the HEART Pocket guides community first responders through high-pressure situations so they can act with confidence in a cardiac arrest incident. The built-in paediatric mode allows the same device to be used with adult or child patients at the press of a button, removing the need for additional accessories and the stress of switching between equipment mid-response. And with the device approved by the EU’s Medical Device Regulation (MDR), it meets the highest standards of safety and reliability to protect the public.
Drawing on over 150 years of first aid expertise, St John Ambulance has built the HEART Pocket for the unpredictable conditions that CFRs face every day. Alongside an eight-year warranty, the device is rated IP65 for dust and water resistance, and drop-tested from 1.5 metres, ensuring complete reliability even after the knocks and falls that are part of everyday operational life.
Ultimately, how quickly a defibrillator reaches a patient is key in improving survival outcomes during cardiac arrest. By making defibrillators smaller, lighter and easier to carry for community first responders, the HEART Pocket gives patients the best possible chance of a positive outcome.
St John Ambulance is the sole UK distributor of the HEART Pocket defibrillator, helping CFRs save lives across the country. All profits from the defibrillator sales go back into supporting the charity’s mission of putting the power of first aid in everyone's hands.
