East Midlands Railway installs new defibrillator at Matlock Bath station

The locations of 22 new defibrillators were put forward by station adopters and local community rail partnerships.

The Matlock Bath unit has been housed on the station platform and should be accessible around the clock.

Donna Adams, community engagement manager, said: “Each second counts when someone has a cardiac arrest, and with thousands of people passing through our stations each day, they are ideal places to install a defibrillator.

“We are pleased to be able to contribute to such an important project and bring such vital equipment to communities right across the region we serve.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Phil Thomas, a volunteer station adopter in Nottinghamshire, added: “The importance of having a defibrillator readily accessible to help someone in an emergency situation is life saving. We are very grateful to EMR.”

According to the British Heart Foundation, for every minute it takes for a defibrillator to reach someone in need, chances of survival reduce up to ten per cent.

Each station defibrillator comes with step-by-step instructions built into the unit explaining how to use it should someone suffer a cardiac arrest. An internal computer analyses the patient’s heart rhythms to determine whether an electric shock is required, and if so automatically delivers it.

Matlock Bath also has a defibrillator in a red phone box on North Parade.