Prime recruitment Ltd will ensure that practical knowledge training is in place and provided to all staff.
Policy aim
To provide information and guidance to staff on how to take the appropriate action when Basic First Aid/Life Support is needed.
Policy: Prime Recruitment Limited, will provide appropriate first aid training to help staff give first aid when needed. If staff feel anxious about providing first aid, they should inform their Manager as soon as possible. The manager will then provide extra training and/or support.
Scope: This policy contains information and guidance from:
Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981
Care Certificate 2015
Prime Recruitment Ltd will take guidance from relevant bodies annually. They will then amend this policy and its procedures to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest information about first aid and basic life support.
Staff are expected to adhere to this legislation through the implementation of the policy and procedures.
Staff must be trained
Staff providing care, are all required to have basic life support training to assist the Client’s Service Users in an emergency and must attend the annual renewal training. If there is a change that requires additional training, staff are required to attend this.
Reporting
Staff must report all accidents and incidents to the person in charge of running the shift immediately and the Manager or Director of Prime Recruitment Ltd. When an accident results in hospital admission or an inability to continue work, the Manger or Director immediately.
Safety
***Staff must never put themselves in danger at any time or take risks***
Providing first aid in an emergency
Staff trained in this will provide first aid when needed using the steps below.
CALL FOR HELP – CALL 999
Check the surroundings. Is it safe? Staff should not put themselves in danger.
Check whether the person is responsive. For example, ask them to open their eyes. If they don’t, tap their shoulder or pinch their ear lobe to see if they respond.
Provide the care that they have been trained to do.
CPR on an Adult
If you find someone collapsed, make sure it's safe to approach, check if they respond by gently shaking their shoulders and asking them loudly are they ok. If they don't respond, shout for help and open their airway. Look, listen and feel for up to 10 seconds for normal breathing (ignore occasional, irregular gasps - these are common in the early stages of cardiac arrest).
If they are not breathing normally, ask a helper to call 999 or 112 for an ambulance while you start chest compressions. Ask a helper to find and bring a defibrillator, if available.
Ask your helper to put the phone on speaker and hold it out towards you
If you are on your own, use the hands-free speaker on a phone so you can start CPR while speaking to ambulance control
Do not leave the casualty to look for a defibrillator yourself. The ambulance will bring one
Start CPR. Kneel by the casualty and put the heel of your hand on the middle of their chest. Put your other hand on top of the first and interlock your fingers.
Keep your arms straight and lean over the casualty. Press down hard, to a depth of about 5-6cm before releasing the pressure, allowing the chest to come back up. Push at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute.
Listen to instructions from the ambulance controller, who will tell you what to do and help you to push at the right speed
Continue to perform CPR until:
Emergency help arrives and takes over
The person starts showing signs of life and starts to breathe normally
You are too exhausted to continue (if there is a helper, you can change over every one-to-two minutes, with minimal interruptions to chest compressions)
A defibrillator is ready to be used
DNACPR and Respect forms in place.
Staff should always check by reading the Client’s Service Users care plans regularly and inform 999 if there is a Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation document in place, or a Respect form which is completed around a resuscitation. If the document states do not attempt to resuscitate, staff are to inform 999 immediately who will give guidance.
Bleeding
With open wounds, there’s a risk of infection, so wear protective gloves
(if available) to help prevent any infection passing between you both.
Apply direct pressure to the wound using a sterile dressing if possible or a clean non-fluffy cloth, to stop the bleeding.
If you don't have a dressing you can ask the casualty to do this themselves.
If the wound is covered by the casualty's clothing, remove or cut the clothes to uncover the wound.
Ask a helper to call 999 or 112 for emergency help and give Ambulance Control details of where the wound is and the extent of the bleeding.
If you are on your own, use the hands-free speaker on a phone so that you can treat while speaking to ambulance control.
If there’s an object in the wound, don’t pull it out. It may be acting as a plug to reduce the bleeding. Instead apply pressure on either side of the object to push the edges together.
Firmly secure the dressing with a bandage to maintain pressure on the wound. Make it firm enough to maintain pressure but not so tight that it restricts their circulation.
Check their circulation beyond the bandage. Press one of the nails or the skin beyond the bandage for five seconds until it turns pale, then release the pressure. If the colour does not return within two seconds, the bandage is too tight. If necessary, loosen and reapply the bandage.
Keep monitoring their level of response until help arrives. If they become unresponsive at any point, prepare to start CPR.
Shock
The loss of blood could cause the casualty to develop shock. Treat them for this by helping them to lie down, on a rug or blanket. Raise and support their legs, so they are above the level of their heart. You should then loosen any tight clothing around their neck, chest and waist and cover the casualty with a blanket to keep them warm.
Stay with the person until additional help arrives e.g. ambulance, GP, etc.
Choking
Signs and symptoms, look for: difficulty breathing, speaking or coughing, a red puffy face, signs of distress, and they may point to their throat or grasp their neck
If you think someone is choking, ask them ‘Are you choking?' If they can breathe, speak or cough then they might be able to clear their own throat. If they cannot
breathe, cough, or make any noise, then they need your help straight away.
Cough!
Cough it out. Encourage them to cough and remove any obvious obstruction from their mouth.
Hit it out.
If coughing fails to work, you need to give five sharp back blows.
To do this, help them to lean forwards, supporting their upper body with one hand.
With the heel of your other hand give them five sharp back blows between their shoulder blades.
After each back blow, check to see if there’s anything in their mouth.
Squeeze it out.
If back blows fail to clear the obstruction, give five abdominal thrusts.
To do this, stand behind them and put your arms around their waist.
Place one hand in a clenched fist between their belly button and the bottom of their chest.
With your other hand, grasp your fist and pull sharply inwards and upwards up to five times. Check their mouth again, after each thrust.
If the blockage has not cleared, call 999 or 112 for emergency help straight away. Repeat five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until help arrives, re-checking their mouth each time.
If they become unresponsive at any point, prepare to start adult CPR.
Recovery position
It’s safe to place someone in the recovery position who is not responding to you but is breathing normally. When someone is put into the recovery position their airway is kept open and any vomit would drain away without interfering with their breathing.
Kneel by the casualty and straighten their legs.
If they are wearing glasses, or have any bulky items in their pockets, remove them.
Do not search their pockets for small items.
Place the arm that is nearest to you at a right angle to their body, with the elbow bent and their palm facing upwards.
Bring their other arm across their chest and place the back of their hand against the cheek nearest to you. Hold it there.
With your other hand, pull their far knee up so that their foot is flat on the floor.
Keeping the back of the casualty’s hand pressed against their cheek, pull on the far leg to roll the casualty towards you on to their side. You can then adjust the top leg so that it is bent at a right angle.
Gently tilt the casualty’s head back and lift their chin to make sure their airway stays open. You can adjust the hand under their cheek to do this.
Call 999/112 for emergency help if it hasn’t already been done. Monitor their level of response while waiting for help to arrive.
If they remain in the recovery position for 30 minutes, roll them into the recovery position on the other side.
Recording accidents and incidents
All accidents, however minor, must be recorded in the accident and incident book at the Care, Residential or Nursing home, reported immediately to the person in charge of running the shift and to the Manager or Director at Prime Recruitment Ltd.
The accident and incident book will be located in the Care/Residential or Nursing home which the regular staff will advise how complete.
It is the responsibility of staff member dealing with the accident to complete the entry in the accident book as soon as possible after the event.
If any information is required regarding the information in this policy, please contact the Manager or Director of Prime Recruitment Ltd.
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