Essential Medical Emergencies and Life Support in UK GP Practice




Qualification Code:

BLSGP

Awarding Body:

CPD certificate

Duration:

1-1.5 hours (in centre 12.30-14.00) monthly

Delivery Method:

Classroom & Online

Cost:

£60 (VAT included)

Essential Medical Emergencies and Life Support in UK GP Practice

Course Overview

Your whole practice team signed off in an hour

Your whole practice team’s annual resuscitation update, without closing the surgery.

Every member of the team completes the theory online, in their own time — 60 to 90 minutes, before they come. Then they spend one hour with us, and that hour is only the hands-on part, because the learning is already done.

One hour. Not a day. Not an afternoon of sitting through slides your clinicians could have read at home.

Why it is built this way

CQC and Resuscitation Council UK expect clinical staff to update resuscitation skills at least once a year, under Regulation 12 — safe care and treatment. Non-clinical staff should generally have annual updates too, subject to local risk assessment.

Resuscitation Council UK goes further: for clinical staff it recommends hands-on simulation training that includes an assessment. An online certificate on its own does not meet that. The in-centre hour exists precisely to.

What stops practices doing it is the arithmetic — a full day, times the whole team, equals a closed surgery or a locum bill. Front-loading the theory removes the arithmetic. The hour runs 12:30 to 14:00, monthly, which for most practices means nobody misses a clinic at all.

What the hour actually looks like

Sixty minutes, assessed continuously, with everyone signed off as they demonstrate each skill. There is no separate exam. Manikins with live feedback, a training AED and an adrenaline trainer throughout.

  • 0:00–0:05 — Welcome and safety. Confirm the e-learning is complete, brief, any questions.
  • 0:05–0:28 — High-quality CPR, assessed. Adult manikin practice with real-time feedback on rate, depth and recoil; paediatric CPR where relevant to the role.
  • 0:28–0:40 — AED in practice, assessed. Pad placement, following the prompts and shock safety in a simulated arrest.
  • 0:40–0:50 — Recovery position and choking, assessed. Recovery position, back blows and abdominal thrusts.
  • 0:50–1:00 — Anaphylaxis and IM adrenaline, assessed. Recognising anaphylaxis and giving adrenaline, then final sign-off and certificate.

Everyone leaves with their annual BLS, AED, recovery position and anaphylaxis competency signed off and a 12-month certificate.

Where, and who teaches it

In our own centre in Stockton-on-Tees, in simulation areas set up as consulting and treatment rooms — so when your team practises an arrest, they practise it in the space it would actually happen in, with the equipment where it would actually be.

Taught by experienced clinical educators — nurse practitioners, paramedics and GPs who still practise.

Clinical and non-clinical both

All staff should be able to recognise cardiorespiratory arrest, summon help and start chest compressions. Reception are frequently the first person to reach a collapsed patient, and the first to the AED.

Clinical staff have a higher bar: they must be able to use an AED with minimal delay, and an AED is required equipment in the practice. That is why the AED station is assessed rather than demonstrated.

If your practice vaccinates or injects

Module 9 covers the wider medical emergencies — anaphylaxis, asthma, hypoglycaemia, angina and heart attack, seizures and syncope, plus the emergency drugs, oxygen and bag-valve-mask. It is recommended for any clinical staff who administer injections or vaccinations, which in most practices means most of the clinical team.

Or we come to you

For practices with ten or more, we bring the hands-on hour to your premises. The team completes the e-learning beforehand as usual, then nobody leaves the building at all.

Individual clinicians wanting resuscitation training outside a practice team should look at our Basic Life Support and AED course.

Taught to the current guidelines

Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2025, which replaced the 2021 set in October 2025 and changed the adult sequence. If your practice last updated on 2021 guidance, this brings the team current.

Across the online eLearning and the one-hour hands-on visit, you will be able to:

  • Recognise an emergency – spot cardiac arrest and the deteriorating patient using a structured DR ABC / ABCDE approach.
  • Deliver high-quality CPR – effective chest compressions and ventilations for adults, with the key differences for children.
  • Use an AED safely – apply and operate an automated external defibrillator with minimal delay.
  • Manage the airway – place a patient in the recovery position and manage choking in adults and children.
  • Treat anaphylaxis – recognise anaphylaxis and administer IM adrenaline confidently.
  • Understand medical emergencies (online) – recognise and begin managing asthma, hypoglycaemia, cardiac events and seizures, and know the emergency drugs, oxygen and bag-valve-mask.
  • Understand your responsibilities – the regulatory context, infection control, equipment checks and post-incident actions.

The nine online modules

Modules 1 to 8 are the core for every delegate. Module 9 is recommended for anyone who injects or vaccinates.

  1. The Chain of Survival and Recognising Cardiac Arrest — why early recognition and early CPR save lives, and the agonal breathing so often mistaken for normal breathing.
  2. The Primary Survey — DR ABC / ABCDE — a structured approach to the collapsed or deteriorating patient, and prioritising before help arrives.
  3. Adult Basic Life Support — the full sequence: safe approach, checking response and breathing, calling for help, compressions at the right rate, depth and recoil, rescue breaths and ratios.
  4. Paediatric Basic Life Support — Key Differences — initial rescue breaths, hand position and compression depth, and when this is relevant to your role and patient group.
  5. The Automated External Defibrillator — how it works, safe pad placement, following voice prompts, safety during shock delivery, and minimising interruptions to compressions.
  6. The Recovery Position — when and how to place a breathing, unresponsive patient, and ongoing monitoring while awaiting help.
  7. Choking — Foreign Body Airway Obstruction — mild versus severe obstruction, and the management sequence for adults and children.
  8. Your Responsibilities: Legislation, CQC, GDC and After the Event — the regulatory context in plain terms, duty of care, infection prevention during resuscitation, checking emergency equipment, and post-incident documentation and debrief.
  9. Managing Medical Emergencies, Drugs, Oxygen and Bag-Valve-Mask — anaphylaxis, asthma, hypoglycaemia, angina and heart attack, seizures and syncope; the emergency drug box including IM adrenaline; oxygen therapy; and the principles of bag-valve-mask ventilation.

Each module ends with a knowledge check. The e-learning must be completed before the in-centre hour, where the practical skills are assessed by observation and signed off for the year.

A MediPro CPD certificate confirming your annual Basic Life Support and AED update, valid for 12 months, aligned to Resuscitation Council UK guidelines.

Verifiable CPD, issued individually — every member of the team has their own dated record.

What CQC looks for

CQC does not mandate a particular course; practices tailor training to local need. What it expects is evidence:

  • that clinical staff train at least annually, under Regulation 12
  • that all staff can recognise an arrest, summon help and start compressions
  • that clinical staff can use an AED with minimal delay, and that the practice has one
  • that training covers adults and children appropriately to role and patient group
  • that the records exist

CQC’s GP Mythbuster 1 — Emergency care in general practice — is the document an inspector is working from. Individual dated certificates give you what it asks for, in a folder.

Keeping the evidence straight

File the certificates with your equipment and AED check log, and diarise the renewal at eleven months. The common inspection finding is not that a practice never trained — it is that the last date was fourteen months ago and nobody had noticed.

No formal entry requirements.

  • Suitable for all GP practice staff, clinical and non-clinical.
  • Complete the online modules before the in-centre hour. The practical hour assumes the theory and there is no time to cover it again.
  • You can kneel and perform CPR on a manikin. Say so in advance if that is a problem and we will work it out with you.

£60 including VAT per person — or £51 each when you book four or more. For most practices, the whole team qualifies in one booking. Covers the online modules and the in-centre hour.

Multiple booking discount

Practices booking four or more of the team receive 15% off the total, including any optional services added at checkout.

Returning learners

Trained with us before? Take 10% off when you return for next year’s update.

Course fee money-back 100% guarantee

Attend, complete the learning and follow your tutor’s guidance. If you still do not pass, we refund your course fee. On eligible courses.

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Practice invoicing

Practices putting the team through can be invoiced rather than paying per person at checkout — one invoice, whole team. Get in touch and we will set it up.

PCNs and multi-site practices

If you are training across several sites, talk to us before booking. There is usually a better way to organise it than everyone booking separately.

On-site delivery

For practices with ten or more we run the practical hour at your surgery. Ask for a quote.

How often does practice staff training need to happen?

Clinical staff must update resuscitation skills at least once a year, under CQC Regulation 12 and the Resuscitation Council UK Quality Standards for primary care. Non-clinical staff should generally have annual updates too, subject to local risk assessment. Your certificate runs for 12 months for exactly that reason.

Does CQC require a specific course?

No. Practices tailor training to local need. What CQC looks for is that the training happened, that it was appropriate to each role, that clinical staff can use an AED promptly, and that you can evidence it. CQC’s GP Mythbuster 1 on emergency care in general practice is the document an inspector works from.

Is online-only training enough?

Not for clinical staff. Resuscitation Council UK specifically recommends hands-on simulation training that includes an assessment. That is what the in-centre hour is — and why we do not sell this as an online-only course.

Does reception need to do this?

Generally yes. All staff should be able to recognise cardiorespiratory arrest, summon help and start chest compressions. Reception are frequently the first person to reach a collapsed patient.

Do we need Module 9?

It is recommended rather than required for primary care — but if your staff administer injections or vaccinations, it is the module that covers anaphylaxis, the emergency drugs, oxygen and bag-valve-mask. For most practices that means most of the clinical team should do it.

How long are we out of the surgery?

One hour, 12:30 to 14:00, monthly. The e-learning is 60 to 90 minutes, done in the team’s own time. For most practices nobody misses a clinic.

What if some of the team cannot make the date?

We run the hour monthly, so stragglers catch the next one. They do not have to wait for the whole practice to be free again.

Do you cover anaphylaxis?

Yes, and it has its own assessed station with an adrenaline trainer. For a practice that runs vaccination clinics it is the emergency most likely to arrive.

What about children?

Paediatric BLS has its own module, and is practised in the centre where it is relevant to your role and patient group.

What else does it cover besides arrest?

Asthma, hypoglycaemia, angina and heart attack, seizures and syncope, plus the emergency drugs, oxygen and bag-valve-mask — all in Module 9. Infection control during resuscitation, equipment and AED checks, and post-incident documentation and debrief are in Module 8.

Can you deliver at the practice?

Yes, for ten or more. The team completes the e-learning beforehand and we bring the hands-on session to you.

Who teaches it?

Experienced clinical educators — nurse practitioners, paramedics and GPs who still practise. The scenarios run in simulation areas set up as consulting and treatment rooms.

Do we get records for inspection?

Individual dated 12-month certificates for every person, which is what you need in the folder when CQC asks.

Does it cover the 2025 resuscitation guidelines?

Yes. Resuscitation Council UK replaced the 2021 guidelines in October 2025 and changed the adult sequence. A team last updated on 2021 guidance is now a year behind.

Over 10,000 people have begun their clinical career with us.

We support NHS ambulance services, dental practices, community pharmacies, care providers and offshore operators. Here is what some of them say.

Both Rob and Tony the CERAD tutors were absolutely amazing, helpful and patient with us. Couldn’t have asked for better trainers or a better bunch of people to take this journey with!

Tia Sayer

Apprentice Emergency Technician

I completed my level 3 CERAD in March of this year, this was the third course I have done with Medipro in the last 14 months. In all of the courses I have done with Medipro I have found nothing but genuine, friendly, top class people. 

Phil Brazier

Level 3 CERAD

The teacher was very knowledgeable and made the lessons fun so it was easy to absorb. I am new to the Medical Diving field so it was very exciting learning more and going deeper into medical conditions and illnesses specific to diving. Being a diver, it will be a great asset for me to recognise and be able to administer aid should it be needed.

Kevin

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Medipro is a very responsive apprenticeship training provider. They help us build and retain a very skilled, competent and patient care focused team of Emergency Care Assistants.

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I would definitely recommend you guys to others. I feel like there’s a lot of support when needed. It’s been really enjoyable.

Imogen Fitzgerald

Apprentice Emergency Medical Technician

I think the course so far has been really good. I’ve liked the practical sessions. It’s clear what we need to learn and there’s a lot of support as well.

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Apprentice Emergency Medical Technician

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