Southeastern teamed up with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) to teach commuters how to perform lifesaving CPR and use a defibrillator on Restart a Heart Day (October 16).
The event saw members of MTW’s resuscitation team take over platform 1 at Maidstone East during rush hour, where they helped passengers to learn and practice hands-on resuscitation techniques.
More than 30,000 cardiac arrests happen outside hospitals every year, yet only half of UK adults know the vital skills to help in a medical emergency.
Sebastian Szymanski, an area manager for Southeastern, discovered the importance of this in 2018 when he and his colleague were informed that a passenger had been taken ill at Maidstone East. They dialled 999, and before paramedics arrived, they used a defibrillator to help save the passenger’s life.
Sebastian Szymanski said:
“Getting people home safe every day is part of the job, but training and knowledge - even if that is just knowing the basics of CPR or ensuring people know where to find the nearest defibrillator - can make a real difference.
“It was great to see so many passengers and staff taking time out of their busy mornings to learn what to do in an emergency.”
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Resuscitation Officer, Lesley Higham, helped with demonstrations and said:
“Many commuters were surprised at how straightforward CPR is once you know the steps, and how little time it takes to make a real difference.
"It’s incredibly empowering to witness people gain the confidence to act decisively in an emergency — because in those critical moments, their actions could mean the difference between life and death.”
Restart a Heart Day is an annual drive led by the Resuscitation Council UK, which aims to increase the number of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by helping more people learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator.
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) provide verbal step-by-step instructions on how to give a high-energy electric shock to someone in cardiac arrest. In 2022, Southeastern introduced defibrillators at all stations, and in just the last year, they have been used 243 times by station staff and passengers.
If someone is in cardiac arrest, the first thing to do is dial 999. The operator will be able to talk the caller through where their nearest defibrillator is and provide a pin code to access it from a secure cabinet.
To learn more about defibrillators at Southeastern stations and find out where your nearest defibrillator is located, visit: Defibrillators at Stations | Southeastern Railway.
