All Underground and Overground stations now have public defibrillators
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that all London Underground and Overground stations, as well as Dial-a-Ride vehicles, now have public access defibrillators in case a passenger suffers cardiac arrest.
Last year the London Ambulance Service (LAS) responded to about 13,000 cardiac arrests across the capital.
Fewer than one in 10 people currently survive a cardiac arrest. For every minute that goes by without intervention like CPR and defibrillation, the chances of a person surviving cardiac arrest drops by 10 per cent.
City Hall, the LAS NHS Trust and Transport for London (TfL) have now completed a huge roll-out of defibrillators across the transport network.
This means that every single borough now has a TfL defibrillator that anyone can access.
The Mayor, LAS and TfL have also launched a short training video, presented by the BBC’s Dr Chris van Tulleken and community resuscitation training officer Alexa Barton from LAS, which demonstrates how to perform chest compressions and use a defibrillator.
Londoners will also be able to find heart-shaped QR codes on every defibrillator in the TfL network. These QR codes take you straight to a video on City Hall’s website which will show you how to perform CPR and use the defibrillator.
The roll-out has been introduced alongside the LAS’s London Lifesavers campaign in schools. Starting with Year 8 students, more than 200 students from six schools will be trained with CPR and how to use a defibrillator at City Hall today.
Mr Khan said: “It’s important that Londoners not only have the kit but the skills to step in and assist when someone is having a cardiac arrest.
“This roll-out will ensure people travelling in our city feel safe and confident that they will be helped in the case of an emergency, and supports my aim to continue building a safer and fairer London for all.”
Pictured top: Sadiq Khan trying out the QR code on the new defibrillators (Picture: Caroline Teo)
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
