Defibrillator Guardian Checklist: Battery, Pads, Cabinet and Status

If you look after a community defibrillator, your job is to keep it rescue ready: charged, stocked with in-date pads, easy to reach and recorded on the national database so the ambulance service can send someone to it. Resuscitation Council UK's guidance for communities is that a named defibrillator guardian should carry out the routine checks, replace the battery when necessary, replace used or out-of-date pads, razors and gloves, and record every check on The Circuit¹.

The stakes are simple. A defibrillator that is not rescue ready, because its pads have not been replaced, are missing or it has a fault, cannot save a life¹. A device that is registered, visible and ready is the one that gets used: all public access defibrillators should be registered on The Circuit, and if yours is not registered, the ambulance service will not know it exists².

This checklist sets out what to check, how to keep the battery and pads in date, how the cabinet should work, and what to do the moment the defibrillator comes back from an incident.

The guardian checklist: battery, pads, cabinet and status

Work through these four items every time you check the defibrillator, and record the result on The Circuit. The Circuit sends email reminders to check the device and lets you know when the pads expire, so the reminders give you the rhythm⁶.

1. Battery: check the status indicator and replace the battery when the device says it needs it, following the manufacturer's instructions¹.
2. Pads and disposables: check the pads are in date and sealed, and that scissors, razors and gloves are present and in date, replacing anything used or expired¹.
3. Cabinet and access: confirm the cabinet opens easily, that any lock is working and well lit, and that the unlocking code is correctly recorded on The Circuit if there is one¹.
4. Status on The Circuit: record the check so the ambulance service knows the device is ready, which takes just a few minutes⁵.

The guardian's wider role is set out by South Central Ambulance Service: guardians register the AED on the national database, carry out basic checks, monitor pad and battery expiry dates and funds for replacements, and return the device to a response ready state after use³. Resuscitation Council UK adds that a guardian should be nominated to undertake these tasks and receive alerts from The Circuit, with an agreement or policy to ensure the role continues if the guardian is absent¹. A single volunteer with no cover is a weak point: agree who steps in before you need them.

Checks should be carried out as per manufacturer guidance and your risk assessment, with a process to ensure this is maintained and recorded². All defibrillators need to be checked regularly to ensure they are response ready⁷. The guidance does not set one interval for every device, so the manufacturer's instructions for your model and your own risk assessment decide the frequency, and The Circuit's reminders help you keep to it¹.

Battery: replace it when the status check says so

The battery is the item most likely to let a defibrillator down quietly, because a device with a flat battery looks exactly like a ready one until someone opens the lid. Resuscitation Council UK's instruction is direct: owners or guardians must carry out routine checks, replace the battery when necessary, and follow the manufacturer's instructions¹. The status indicator on the device, read at each check, is what tells you when that moment has come.

• Read the status indicator at every check and act on what it shows¹.
• Replace the battery when the device indicates it is needed, using the maker's instructions for your model¹.
• Record the check and any battery change on The Circuit⁵.
• Plan and budget for replacement batteries as part of the ongoing cost of the device¹.

That last point matters for community groups. Resuscitation Council UK advises considering how you will fund the initial and ongoing cost of maintenance, the storage cabinet, directional signage, replacing consumables, insurance premiums, and replacement of batteries and pads¹. A defibrillator bought with a grant but with no plan for its battery is only ready for as long as the first one lasts.

Pads: replace them once used or past their expiry date

Electrode pads are single use. South Central Ambulance Service's information pack is clear that the electrode pads and items like scissors and razors are single use and will need replacing before the AED can be response ready again, and that some items have a limited shelf life³. Once a pad has touched a patient it is finished, and an expired pad may not stick or conduct properly.

• Check the expiry date printed on every set of pads at each check³.
• Replace pads once they have been used, and replace any that are past their expiry date¹.
• Replace the other single-use items, such as scissors, razors and gloves, at the same time¹.
• Keep the pads expiry date up to date in the device's registration details⁸.

The Circuit helps here by sending guardians reminders such as when pads are due to expire and to regularly check their defibrillator and update The Circuit⁶. When you register a defibrillator with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the pads expiry date is one of the details recorded⁸, which is why keeping that date current matters: it is how the system knows when your device is about to fall out of date.

A defibrillator that is not rescue ready, for example because pads are not replaced, is missing or has a fault, cannot save a life¹. That is the whole reason for the pad check.

Cabinet access: unlocked by default, locked only with care

Resuscitation Council UK's recommendation is that defibrillator cabinets should not be locked, because locked cabinets may create significant delays¹. The Scottish Ambulance Service recommends an unlocked outdoor cabinet so that the defibrillator is easy to get in an emergency, and says that if you do choose a locked cabinet, you can add the access code when you register the defibrillator on The Circuit⁴. The South Western Ambulance Service also says lockable cabinets are not recommended⁷.

The fear that drives people to lock cabinets is largely misplaced. Resuscitation Council UK reports that theft and vandalism are rare, and that missing defibrillators are generally a result of deployment to an emergency rather than theft¹. Data from The Circuit suggests that many occasions where cabinets are forced open are neither vandalism nor theft, but people responding to genuine emergencies struggling with the lock or the code¹. An earlier consensus statement reached the same view: despite widespread use of unlocked cabinets, instances of theft and vandalism are relatively uncommon⁹.

If a locked cabinet is used, ensure the lock is simple to operate and well maintained with a suitable lubricant recommended by the cabinet supplier, the keypad is visible and well lit at night, and the unlocking code is accurately recorded on The Circuit so the emergency call handler can provide it to bystanders¹. A decision to place a public access defibrillator in a locked cabinet should be made only on the basis of careful risk assessment in that specific location⁹. If a guardian wishes to convert a locked cabinet into an unlocked one, they should follow the manufacturer's guidance for disabling or removing the lock¹⁰.

After use: getting the defibrillator back and ready again

When a Circuit-registered defibrillator is deployed by the ambulance service, the guardian will receive an email immediately to let them know¹. That email is your cue to start the return process, and The Circuit provides stickers with spaces to enter a contact number, location (using postcode, What3Words or a location name) and, if needed, the cabinet unlocking code; if you do not have a Circuit sticker, tie on a label or use an indelible marker to write the same information directly onto the case².

Once the device is back:

1. Sanitise it. Clean the defibrillator before it goes back into service¹.
2. Replace the used disposables, especially the pads, and any scissors, razors or gloves that were used¹.
3. Return it to its usual place in the cabinet¹.
4. Update its status on The Circuit, so the ambulance service knows it is emergency rescue ready again¹.

Registering with the ambulance service, and where to get help

Registration is the step that makes a defibrillator findable. Resuscitation Council UK says registration is quick and free to do, and registered defibrillators become visible to the ambulance service on a 999 call and available on the DefibFinder website⁵. The South Western Ambulance Service says all public access defibrillators should be registered on The Circuit, and that if your defibrillator is not registered, they will not know it exists⁷. The Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust directs owners to register via The Circuit¹¹, and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service records details including the pads expiry date⁸.

To check whether a device is registered, Resuscitation Council UK's ResusReady guidance says to visit DefibFinder: if your defibrillator does not appear, it is not registered¹². Recording a status check takes just a few minutes and provides ambulance services with the confidence that the defibrillator is ready to use in an emergency⁵.

For a community group starting out, the British Heart Foundation has offered free, BHF-funded public defibrillators to eligible community groups, with applications reopening in summer 2025¹³. Funding the device is only part of it: plan for maintenance, the cabinet, signage, consumables, insurance and replacement batteries and pads¹.

If you are the person who would use the defibrillator rather than look after it, our guides to public access defibrillators and how to use an AED cover the steps at the scene. If you are choosing a device for a village hall or club, see choosing a defibrillator and indoor or outdoor defibrillator cabinet. For the wider household picture, start with First Aid at Home.