Return to School Safely

Return to School Safely

As schools have started in January, it is important that CPR and First Aid training is in place to ensure a safe return. 

It is vital that the school staff receive full CPR and First Aid training and are confident and are competent and most importantly, are up-to-date with their training.

At Survival CPR we make it so easy for school teachers to learn CPR and First Aid, as our instructors come to the school to teach, in this way, everyone receives the same training and is consistent in how to handle an emergency at the school. It is important that all staff, including school grounds staff and supervisors receive professional training. In this way they are confident to give immediate first aid to someone who is choking, or experiencing an anaphylactic reaction.

It is vital that medication is only administered by staff competent to give it, you must discuss this independently with the school your child attends. In addition, there must be written medical instructions and consent from the parent or legal guardian.

There are many children who attend school with chronic and complex medical conditions. It is therefore essential that school staff work with parents, so that these children are given all the support they need.

Please read here what topics are covered in our Teacher CPR and First Aid Courses.

These are some of the emergencies that children with medical conditions can encounter:

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is an extremely severe allergic reaction. Reactions usually begin within minutes and progress rapidly, however, they can occur up to 2-3 hours after exposure. In addition, exercise can initiate symptoms a while after exposure to an allergen. Common allergens include food and insect stings. Importantly, the rise of food allergies poses a significant risk for pupils in schools.

Statistics show that children who have a food allergy have reactions that can happen at school. Anaphylaxis can proceed rapidly. In turn, failure to administer adrenaline promptly has been associated with fatalities.

It is really important that parents have ordered additional adrenaline injectors. In addition, teachers must know what to do in case of a medical emergency.

Seizures

A seizure is the medical term for a fit or convulsion. One in twenty people will have a seizure at some point in their lives.

Firstly, electrical activity happens constantly in our brains and controls movements and bodily functions. If there is a disruption to the blood supply to the brain, it can trigger a seizure causing uncontrolled movement of the eyes, limbs and body.

Febrile convulsions can happen to five out of every 100 children under the age of six years old and so are not uncommon.

These are seizures caused by a rising temperature when they are unwell. As a result, seizures are extremely frightening, however these ones are rarely life threatening. Moreover, your child is likely to grow out of them by the time they are about 5 years old. It is important to receive medical advice from your family doctor if your child experiences a seizure, to discover what caused it.

Our instructors are highly experienced medical professionals with experience in ICU, Trauma and Paediatric Trauma. Our courses cater for groups or individuals at our venue or yours.

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