ARCHIVE of COVID-19 guidance from Back to Life

This page contains an archive of the advice that we posted during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Update - 14th May 2020

The Resuscitation Council (UK) has published a statement for healthcare workers (HCWs) who are performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in a primary or community care setting including (but not limited to) GP surgeries and community-based clinics.  Read the statement in full here.

Update - 21st April 2020

We have made our PPE, BLS, AED and COVID-19 preparedness training course available to our customers.  Developed in conjunction with our current healthcare clients, this training course aims to help improve your confidence in the use of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and help deliver safer care for patients through early recognition of the deteriorating patient; including administering safe and effective resuscitation when required.

Visit the course information page for full information, and contact us to discuss holding this training in your workplace.

Update - 26th March 2020

The Resuscitation Council (UK) have released an updated ALS algorithm for for the management of cardiac arrest for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Update - 25th March 2020

We have adapted our deteriorating patient course into an e-learning course, which we have made available for free on our e-learning platform.  Please visit our e-learning platform to take part in our our Recognition and Management of the Deteriorating Patient, including guidance of COVID-19 e-learning course.

Update - 19th March 2020

The Resuscitation Council (UK) have updated their guidelines with a new infographic for the resuscitation of COVID-19 patients in hospital.  The infographic can be downloaded from their website. 

Update - 17th March 2020

We continue to monitor the developments within the healthcare and training community and are taking all new guidance into consideration. 

Customers can contact us to discuss any current or future training courses in light of any developments, and we welcome feedback and opinion on how we can continue to offer training courses that will help the healthcare community manage an increase in deteriorating and critically unwell patients in the coming weeks and months.

Candidate and trainer safety is our primary concern, so we are continuing with training courses in line with our current policy - detailed below.

Clients Responsibility

All clients must ensure that they remain up to date with the current advice and recommendations from Public Health England in regard to prevention of the spread of COVID-19 (link). 

Clients must ensure that staff who are booked to attend training sessions have not travelled to any of the high risk countries that have been identified by Public Health England. For further information pertaining to which countries those are please see the see the latest Government travel advice (link)

Candidates

  • All candidates should adhere to their own organisation’s and Back to Life’s health and safety guidance in relation to the current outbreak of COVID-19
  • Candidates who have any symptoms of cough, cold and/or temperature prior to the course, or who have been in contact with a potentially infected person, should exclude themselves from the course and take advice on isolation
  • It is the candidates personal responsibility to ensure they are fit and well in order to undertake the training and that stringent hand cleansing behaviour is adopted at all times
  • If subsequent to training, a candidate becomes unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 they must ensure that Back to Life are informed

Back to Life Trainers Responsibility

  • Ask all candidates to declare if they have of cough, cold and/or temperature prior to the course, or if they have been in contact with a potentially infected person
  • Trainers and candidates must wash their hands at the start and end of the session in accordance with WHO hand washing guidelines - a youtube video is available that demonstrated this very well.
  • If hand washing facilities are not available please use alcohol based hand gel 
  • Manikins must be thoroughly wiped down with alcohol wipes, including the forehead, face and chest; before the start of the session, in between each candidate touching the manikin and at the end of the session before putting them away
  • Dispose of used consumables safely and immediately
  • During the initial assessment trainers should teach:

    • LOOK for signs of life
    • DO NOT Look Listen and feel, ensuring the candidates do not put their faces near to the manikins or person’s airway 
    • Trainers must not teach mouth to mouth. They may demonstrate mouth to mask using their own personal mask without the one-way valve. If the one-way valve is used it must be disposed of and the mask must be thoroughly cleaned after use. 
    • In health care setting where ventilation equipment such as bag valve masks are available this should be the preferred method for providing ventilations
    • If you choose to demonstrate the recovery position or choking or encourage the candidates to do so, ensure that hand washing or gel cleansing takes place before and after these tasks are completed.

Resuscitation Council UK Guidance

During the COVID-19 outbreak it is advised to follow the guidance given by the Resuscitation Council for both training and real emergencies.