Emergency medical care on the train

I don't know if this should go here or in Travel & Transport:

My line manager has recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and is having her medication sorted out. It seems that we are going to be doing quite a bit of business-related train travel in the near future.

I know what to do and who to contact if she has a fit, but I don't know what to do if it happens on the train.  Hopefully, nothing will happen, but if so, what do I do? Are there emergency medical staff on the trains? Do I just alert the nearest member of staff?

Notify the nearest member of staff, and they can arrange for medical support to meet the train at the next station.

Vicky

We once had a staff member with epilepsy (she insisted she had "seizures" and not "fits") and she told us just to ignore it if anything happened at work.  This was OK if she just momentarily spaced out but once (I was alone with her) she had a full-blown seizure which was very scary indeed.
Does your manager wear any kind of medical ID bracelet? In case she is alone at the time. I think I would try to at least keep an eye on where the train staff were located but that's just me being nervous.

My father is epileptic, and the last thing he wants or needs is for people to panic & call the emergency services every time he has a seizure. We place him in the recovery position, make sure he is not being constricted or choked by clothing, and just wait. After about 5 mins he is OK. He is retired now, but when he was working, sometimes he would have quite a bad headache after a grand mal seizure and would take the rest of the day off work.

My father is epileptic, and the last thing he wants or needs is for people to panic & call the emergency services every time he has a seizure. We place him in the recovery position, make sure he is not being constricted or choked by clothing, and just wait. After about 5 mins he is OK. He is retired now, but when he was working, sometimes he would have quite a bad headache after a grand mal seizure and would take the rest of the day off work.

I was about to say the same thing for my brother with epilepsy.  He absolutely does not need to have an ambulance called when it happens unless as the seizure stopped he didn't start breathing.  Some people may need more attention, but my brother has very serious grand mal seizures that can be terrifying to watch and is quite out of it for a while afterword, but he still doesn't need to have emergency medical services for the most part.

Have you asked your colleague?  If they say that you should call someone, then alert the train staff.  If not, they can tell you what they would like done in the event of concerns--they are the expert.  If you just politely and without tons of ado have the discussion when there isn't a crisis, I'm sure you'll handle things just fine.  It's always wise to talk to them.  I'm blown away at how many misconceptions still persist around seizures (like the oldie but goodie that you should put a wallet or something in someone's mouth to keep them from swallowing their tongue--which is bunk).  Luckily, many are learning better how to handle things, but seizures can be very scary when you are in the moment.  If you were to approach your colleague respectfully, I'm sure you'll find any answers you need.

One time my father banged his head on the corner of a table as he went down so we called the doctor but in general it is not an "emergency".

Thanks everyone. I know that it is generally not an emergency, and I know what to do. However, after she has a fit (I thought "fit" was British, "seizure" was American), she is disoriented, says strange things, doesn't know who or where she is for a while, and later has no memory of anything that happened during that time.  She usually has her husband come and take her home so she can sleep it off. On a train we are trapped.

It is something you should be talking to the person about it is confidential in as much as it is between her and who she wishes to discuss it with and in this instance she should be the one you ask.

She will know enough to tell you what she wishes to have done ie recovery position ect or ambulance, I would ask her, she may not like to know she is being talked about with strangers, and she is in a senior position.

Take care and good luck

indy

I agree with the last poster. Just because someobody has a diagnosis of epilepsy it does not mean they have become a child and incapable of arranging their lives. Does this person even need all this discussion? Would she be pleased to read this thread, knowing who started it?

Oh, she and I have talked about this.

I am asking because as someone who is new to the UK, I have never experienced someone having a situation that could turn into a medical emergency, or a situation that others might perceive to be an emergency, while on the train. I would think that someone who has lived in the UK all their life and taken trains in the UK all their life would know what to do, just as I would know what to do if someone was taken ill on the New York City subway. I haven't had that experience in the UK.

Which is why I asked if I was supposed to contact a member of staff or there were medical personnel on board. I am talking about commuter trains where it could be 1/2 hour before we arrive at another station, which I am not used to.

I asked here because this is a board for people who are new to the UK and this is a concern of mine as someone who is new to the UK and hasn't been travelling on UK trains that long.

Maybe this should have been posted in travel and transport, as I mentioned in my original post.

I think you are right to get opinions on this.  Good to be prepared.  In an emergency situation -- or one that could be perceived as an emergency -- you are apt to panic (well, I am) so if you have mentally prepared yourself in advance on what to do you can handle it better.  And its natural to turn to compatriots who will know where you're coming from.

Just adding my 2p to this one.  As BostonDiner said, its good to be prepared.  You may want to work out a "plan of action" with your boss depending on what degree of a fit / seizure she has as to what you're supposed to do and what she would be comfortable with.  Understandably, it puts you in a bit of a difficult position when 1 your'e not massively familiar with the trains and 2 you're not used to dealing with someone who has epilepsy.  As a general guide, and as a reference you may want to contact the train company that you'll usually be using and see what they would do in the case of someone having a fit or seizure so that way you know how to handle it with the train crew if needs be (ask from best case & worst case scenario PoV).

I know it quantifies to nothing, but from going through First Aid at work training you're basically told to leave the person be and then put them in recovery position and call an ambulance (worst case), this may be the kind of reaction you'll get from other passengers and that may be what other passengers may end up doing.  So that may be something you'll want to speak to your manager about as to how she would like you to deal with that on her behalf... 

Good luck!

Thank you for your replies. I do have a general plan of what to do if she has a seizure anywhere.  I have started to ask her for more specifics around what she wants to do in certain situations.  Will have to ask her about the train. 

You are right I am concerned about the reactions of other people, especially on a crowded train when nobody can get on or off.

The worst thing you can do is to pull the emergency stop handle, which will halt the train more or less straight away, possibly in the middle of a rural area a long way away from any roads. Communicate with the train manager who can assess the situation and if need be, can phone ahead and get paramedics or a doctor to meet the train at the next station, whether or not the train is scheduled to stop there.

There is a large red button that alerts the conductor/staff of the train to an emergency it is normally in the wheel chair setting bays if you sit near this part of the train you will A be easily got to as they know this section of the train well and b it is right there for you to gain access to.

I am not a train user and have never been on a UK train, my wife has plenty of experience of using trains.

Indy