Great Western Coffee Shop

When people suffer from a cardiac arrest in a public place – far from a hospital or in remote locations – their best, and often only, chance of survival can be a public access defibrillator (PAD). The small electronic device, simple to use and easily accessible, provides an electric shock that helps bring a victim’s heart rhythm back to normal.

These can be found in many public buildings and spaces, including shopping centres, gyms, town halls and, yes, even train stations. Shortly before RTM went to press, for example, Northern Rail had just rolled out more PADs across 13 of its 465 stations, adding to the 37 kits it has already installed in the past year.

In separate collaborations with two ambulance trusts, Northern has been introducing these life-saving kits across the stations where the majority of serious incidents occur – although according to Resuscitation Council (UK), any busy transport hub usually justifies a cardiac arrest risk rating of ‘moderate’ to ‘likely’.

MELKSHAM’S newest defibrillator has been installed at Bowerhill Pavilion, bringing the £30,000+ network of lifesaving devices to all corners of the community.

The defibrillators cost around £2,600 each to install and maintain and there are now seven in the villages around Melksham, as well as six already in the town.

The devices mean anyone suffering a heart attack nearby can be treated quickly and have a much higher chance of survival than if waiting for an ambulance.

The defibrillators are installed at The Pilot, Bowerhill; Bowerhill Pavilion; The New Inn, Berryfield; The Water Meadow, Melksham; Shaw Village Hall; Whitley Reading Rooms; and St Barnabas Church, Beanacre. There are also six in Melksham at the fire station; Southern Electric on Spa Road; Jones Stores on Beanacre Road and Forest Road; the Assembly Hall; and the Riverside Club.

I think I've them at Oxford & Reading. But I *think* unusable by public as access codes only known by staff. Those in public places are accessiblrme by ringing a number for the access codes.

Bear in mind they're only really effective within the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest...so better than nothing but I'll be interested iin the annual stats of success/usage.

There were quite a number of the put up across the National network.   In a number of locations, even at London major stations, they got vandalised and even stolen

Incredibly, one from inside the office I work in went missing a couple of years ago...

I've read, but I can't remember where, that even when used by trained staff in a hospital they're not very effective – certainly less than 50%. Their main purpose in public places has been described as to make members of the public feel they're doing something useful and so stop them feeling guilty later, and also to keep them busy and so not doing anything that might make things worse until the ambulance turns up.

Are you sure you are not talking about CPR?  Which is skilled.  The defibrillators found at stations and other places are automatic.

Bmblbzzz is correct. The survival rates from either CPR or defibrillator use are surprisingly low - something like a third of patients requiring CPR or a defibrillator survive in a hospital, let alone in the great outdoors, as I recall from a first aid course some years ago, the instructor being a retired nurse. It's not at all like Casualty where someone receives a couple of shocks and suddenly splutters back to life.

This thread is now nearly three years old.   Can anyone provide updates on where defibrillators are at GWR (and other) stations and where they are not there, whether there's a database of ones nearby, or how to set about getting them sanctioned, funded and installed.