Resuscitation Council UK’s aim is to ‘save lives by developing guidelines, influencing policy, delivering courses and supporting cutting-edge research’. They’re working towards the day when everyone in the country has the skills they need to save a life, which sounds pretty similar to what the Red Square Medical team would love to see too!
The Resus Council guidelines form the basis of first aid instruction for UK governed training and every 5 years (though it has been 6 years this time due to COVID-19 delays) the guidelines are systematically reviewed and updates made. The last update was in 2015 and this update was released on 5 May 2021.
The Resus Council’s key message is to improve survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest.
As a refresher, cardiac arrest is an electrical problem which means the heart stops beating normally and can stop completely without intervention. Survival rate is about 10%, though can be higher if the heart is in a shockable rhythm. But every minute of delay in administering CPR or using a defibrillator reduces that figure by another 10%. So speed in delivering CPR really is critical.
The guidelines aim to give anyone who suffers a cardiac arrest outside a hospital environment the best possible chance of survival by early recognition of what’s happening, early CPR and early defibrillation. All of which can be done by bystanders (that’s YOU!), before an ambulance or other help arrives.
The Resus Council firmly believes that everyone who is able, including school children, should be taught CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and it’s something we at Red Square Medical wholeheartedly (see what we did there!) support.
Our instructors will tell you that the best results they’ve seen first-hand from cardiac arrests are due to immediate action and good quality CPR being administered by bystanders or family before professionals arrived on scene. So we know it works.
To help keep you up to date on the very latest developments, we’ve listed a summary of the latest updates to the Resus Council UK guidelines and why they’re so important to us all.
Update - 5 May 2021.
To make it easy, we’ve reviewed the new guidelines and picked out the most important updates that could impact on YOU!
There are no major changes to the process for administering CPR. However early recognition of cardiac arrest, quick action to start CPR and use of a defibrillator still give the best chance of survival.
We’re delighted to see that it’s recommended that every person should learn the basic skills to save a life. Accredited life support courses are recommended as they can improve patient outcomes, so if this is something you’re interested in, talk to us now.
A new section of the guidelines encourages use of social media and apps to engage the community.
Community initiatives (e.g. Restart a Heart) are critical for the promotion of CPR, and it is recognised that children of all school ages should receive CPR training each year. This is something we’re passionate about and we’re planning to get involved in Restart a Heart day in several locations this year… so watch this space!