LTB 096/2021 – Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic – General Advice & CPR Advice For First Aiders & First Aid Training in RMG:
No. 096/2021
8 March 2021
Our Ref: E1 & EX7/21
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic – General Advice & CPR Advice For First Aiders & First Aid Training in RMG:
Following enquiries from First Aiders we have consulted St John’s Ambulance, the Red Cross, the Resuscitation Council (UK) and Royal Mail Group accreditation body (Qualsafe).
First Aid remains a crucial skill even as the country deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. St Johns Ambulance (the volunteer-led, charitable non-governmental organisation dedicated to the teaching and practice of first aid in England) has put together a package of advice for first aiders so that they can continue to keep themselves and people in need of first responder, first aid assistance safe.
Advice for first aiders
A first aider, in addition to high quality clinical skills, to be effective needs to:
- Be aware of the risks to themselves and others
- Keep themselves safe
- Give early treatment
- Keep themselves informed and updated
- Remember their own needs
In the current climate with the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, these skills become even more important and here is how first aiders can apply these skills when managing a first aid incident.
St John’s Ambulance Guidance
- Be aware of the risks to yourself and others
When approaching a casualty there is always a risk of cross contamination – especially when you may have to get close to the casualty to assess what is wrong or to check their breathing. It is always important to be aware of the risks of how this cross contamination has occurred. According to NHS 111 St John’s Ambulance do not know exactly how coronavirus spreads from person to person but similar viruses are spread in cough droplets.
- Keep yourself safe
In line with government advice, make sure you wash your hands or use an alcohol gel, before and after treating a casualty also ensure that you don’t cough or sneeze over a casualty when you are treating them.
The Resuscitation Council (UK) provides some useful advice on how to keep yourself safe when providing CPR. You can read their full advice on their St John’s Ambulance website here.
Don’t lose sight of other cross contamination that could occur that isn’t related to COVID-19.
- Wear gloves or cover hands when dealing with open wounds
- Cover cuts and grazes on your hands with waterproof dressing
- Dispose of all waste safely
- Do not touch a wound with your bare hand
- Do not touch any part of a dressing that will come in contact with a wound.
- Give early treatment
The vast majority of incidents do not involve you getting close to a casualty where you would come into contact with cough droplets. Sensible precautions will ensure you are able to treat a casualty effectively.
- Keep yourself informed and updated
As this is a new disease this is an ever changing situation and the government and NHS are continually updating their advice. Make sure that you regularly review the NHS 111 or Gov.uk website which has a specific section on Coronavirus.
- Remember your own needs
These are challenging and uncertain times for all. The COVID-19 outbreak has meant a lot of upheaval and worry for people. In order to help others, you will also need to look after your own needs. Make sure you take time to talk about your fears and concerns with someone you trust and to take time out to look after yourself.
What is CPR?
CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It combines chest compressions and rescue breaths to give a person the best chance of survival following a cardiac arrest.
St John’s Ambulance have updated their guidance due to the COVID-19 outbreak and advise:- Do not perform rescue breaths on the casualty.
If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing normally, you still need to call 999 or 112 for emergency help and start CPR straight away.
For more information on CPR during the COVID-19 outbreak, visit the Resuscitation Council website.
Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Guidance during COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic
What to do
- If you find someone collapsed, you should first perform a primary survey. Do not place your face close to theirs. If you have established from this that they are unresponsive and not breathing, you should ask a helper to call 999 or 112 for emergency help while you start CPR. 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, so they can maintain a 2m distance.
- 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.
- Before you start CPR, use a towel or piece of clothing and lay it over the mouth and nose of the casualty.
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. Interlock your fingers making sure they don’t touch the ribs.
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.
- The beat of the song “Staying Alive” can help you keep the right speed.
- Do not give rescue breaths.
- 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.
- If the helper returns with a defibrillator, ask them to switch it on and follow the voice prompts while you continue with CPR.
- Wherever possible, the helper should keep a distance of 2m.
- If the casualty shows signs of becoming responsive such as coughing, opening eyes, speaking, and starts to breathe normally, put them in the recovery position. Monitor their level of response and prepare to give CPR again if necessary.
- If you have used a defibrillator, leave it attached.
Royal Mail Group – Safety Health & Environment Team Advice To First Aiders and First Aid Training during the Pandemic:
Following discussions with the Royal Mail SHE Team and Royal Mail HRS Learning Services, they advised as follows;
The First Aid Risk Assessment (FARA) was updated to have specific questions in it for dealing with First Aid under COVID – including signposting to the latest advice on First Aid and CPR from St. John Ambulance and the Resuscitation Council (UK). This advice is also contained in the Royal Mail Group Coronavirus Q&A documents.
All First Aid Training content has been adapted to follow the specific guidance from Royal Mail’s accredited training provider and First Aid Training Guidance has changed to reflect the current ‘real world’ guidance that resuscitation should be compressions only.
It is permissible for First Aiders to retain their qualification without a physical demonstration of mouth-to-mouth taking place. However, this would mean that once these COVID temporary standards are lifted at some point in the future, those delegates would need to return to complete that practical element.
RMG SHE and HRS Learning Services have agreed that Royal Mail Group should continue to run the First Aid courses in the same way as at the start of the pandemic – including physical demonstration. This is because of the success of the training programme with the COVID controls that have been put in place (including each delegate having their own equipment) and to prevent the need for bringing First Aiders back at a future date, risking qualification expiry at that point. However, where a delegate has concerns, they will be permitted to complete the course with a demonstration by the trainer and by satisfactorily explaining how they would complete this element.
With regard to the latest guidance for resuscitation (compressions only) this will be communicated in the training – with the important message that First Aiders must keep themselves abreast of any changing guidance, using reliable sources such as the Resuscitation Council and St John Ambulance.
Royal Mail Group SHE Team will be re-communicating the advice to all First Aiders.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer