Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the single biggest cause of death within the UK, with approximately 74,000 deaths due to CVD each year. There are approximately 103,000 heart attacks in the UK each year and one in three of those individuals die before they reach hospital.
The use of Automated External Defibrillators during an acute heart attack has been shown to increase the survival rate for individuals compared to receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) alone. As such, the implementation of defibrillators across Network Rail’s main sites (247) would significantly increase the likelihood of survival should an individual suffer an acute heart attack.
On this page you can find various documents in the attachment section of this page and a range of videos below to support you with the defibrillators that have been installed.
Training
The defibrillators installed across Network Rail have been specifically designed for the lay rescuer. It provides visual and voice prompts, enabling the rescuer with minimal, or no training to effectively save a life.
To support our employees in having the confidence to use a defibrillator we have made the following video available which explains how to use a defibrillator.
If there is a further need for face to face training, please refer to the Aero course details document for further information on how this can be organised locally.
Maintenance
An important aspect of having defibrillators on site is ensuring they are maintained effectively. The following video provides guidance on how to set up and maintain a Samaritan 350P Defibrillator.
Importance and Technical features
The video below explains why defibrillators are important and explains the features of a Samaritan 350P Defibrillator.
