Basic life support

Target audience

All Healthcare Professionals in a variety of settings whose job role involves them providing Basic Life Support as a first responder within their specific clinical area.

It is essential in the clinical setting that all Healthcare Professionals are able to respond to a situation where BLS is required until additional qualified practitioners arrive at the scene. Early recognition, CPR and defibrillation significantly improves the person’s chance of survival.

This Basic Life Support course will provide the attendee with the skills and knowledge required to act in an emergency, providing the casualty with critical lifesaving assistance until support arrives.

Course delivery

This course is delivered using a range of methods and resources including: Face to Face facilitation, scenarios for breakout groups, questioning and participation, videos, practical demonstrations and practical application of knowledge using manikins, bag valve masks and AED’s.

This course has been developed and mapped to current occupational standards, qualification frameworks and the following documents and resources:

• Resuscitation Council (UK) Guidelines

Course content

• The chain of survival
• Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Assessing unresponsive patients
• Managing a casualty that is choking
• Immediate recognition of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)
• Rapid defibrillation with an automated external defibrillator (AED)
• Assessing responsive patients
• Handover using SBAR structure

Learning outcomes

After attending this course, learners will be able to:

•  Give an overview of The chain of survival
•  State how they would recognise a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)
•  Demonstrate how to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
•  Demonstrate the use an automated external defibrillator (AED)
•  Demonstrate the use of a bag valve mask
•  Demonstrate how to assess an unresponsive patient
•  Demonstrate how to assess a responsive patient
•  Demonstrate how to manage a casualty that is choking
•  Complete a handover using the SBAR structure

Duration: Three hours