Defibrillators in retirement villages – what are operators’ obligations?
The law firm Russell Kennedy has prepared a paper for the Property Council which you can read HERE
We’ve had a few enquiries following our story last week about village residents requesting an additional defibrillator so we thought we’d clarify operators’ obligations. The law firm Russell Kennedy has prepared a paper for the Property Council which you can read HERE. Their advice says there is no legal obligation for village operators to install a defibrillator but to do so will require understanding the obligations and risks. For instance training of staff and adequate procedures. The report points out: “Operators should consider whether to obtain consent from residents to use or not use the defibrillator. The operator may be liable if a defibrillator is used against a resident's express wishes”. You can see it is not a straightforward issue.
