Dealing With Medical Emergencies Training

Help your staff recognise medical emergencies, take safe immediate action and obtain the right help without delay.

Guardian Angels Training’s one-day Dealing with Medical Emergencies course prepares care and healthcare staff to respond confidently when a person becomes acutely unwell.

Delegates learn how to recognise warning signs, complete a structured initial assessment, prioritise immediate actions and communicate essential information to emergency and clinical services.

The course is suitable for staff working in care homes, nursing homes, supported living, domiciliary care, community services and other health and social care settings.

• Duration: Six hours over one day
• Delivery: Blended learning, with bespoke in-house delivery available
• Course type: Initial training or refresher training
• Assessment: Knowledge questions, case-based activities and scenario assessment
• Certification: Guardian Angels Training certificate following successful completion
• Certificate validity: Two years
• Location: Available on an inhouse / closed basis to organisations across the UK
• Tailoring: Content can be adapted to the setting, staff roles and people being supported

This medical emergencies training course is suitable for:

The content and expected actions are adjusted to reflect the delegates’ roles, competence and level of clinical responsibility.

Medical emergencies training teaches staff how to recognise that someone may be seriously unwell, assess the immediate risks, provide appropriate initial support and summon further help.

Delegates are not expected to diagnose the person’s condition. The emphasis is on following a safe and consistent process:

1. Recognise that something is wrong.
2. Assess the person systematically.
3. Address immediate threats within the responder’s competence.
4. Call for appropriate help.
5. Follow the person’s care plan and local procedures.
6. Monitor, communicate and document what happened.

A prompt, structured response can reduce avoidable delays and help emergency and clinical teams make informed decisions.

By the end of the course, delegates should be able to:

• Recognise common signs of acute illness and deterioration.
• Use a structured ABCDE assessment: Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure.
• Identify when a situation requires an immediate 999 response or urgent clinical support.
• Take safe, role-appropriate action while waiting for further help.
• Respond to cardiac, respiratory, neurological, diabetic and bleeding emergencies.
• Follow individual emergency care plans and escalation instructions.
• Communicate essential information clearly using a structured approach such as SBAR.
• Monitor and reassure the person while maintaining dignity and safety.
• Produce an accurate record of the emergency and the actions taken.
• Recognise when specialist training, workplace competency assessment or clinical advice is required.

Initial assessment and emergency priorities

Delegates learn how to approach an emergency safely and identify what requires attention first. This includes:

• Environmental and personal safety
• Checking responsiveness
• Recognising normal and abnormal breathing
• Applying an ABCDE assessment
• Identifying immediate threats to life
• Calling for help early
• Monitoring and reassessing the person
• Working within professional boundaries and organisational procedures

Cardiac emergencies

This section explores the recognition and immediate response to:

• Chest pain
• Suspected heart attack
• Cardiac arrest
• Circulatory collapse and shock
• Sudden deterioration in a person with a known cardiac condition

Delegates consider the information emergency services will need and how their actions relate to the person’s care plan and existing basic life support training.

Respiratory emergencies

Delegates examine common signs of respiratory distress, including:

• Sudden or severe breathlessness
• Changes in breathing rate, effort or pattern
• Asthma emergencies
• Choking and airway obstruction
• Cyanosis and other signs of reduced oxygenation
• Respiratory arrest

The course reinforces the need for early escalation when breathing becomes difficult, abnormal or ineffective.

Neurological emergencies

This section includes the recognition and initial management of:

• Stroke and transient ischaemic attack
• Seizures
• Prolonged or repeated seizures
• Sudden confusion
• Reduced or altered consciousness
• Collapse with an unknown cause

Delegates learn to observe and report what happened, provide safe seizure first aid and follow any current individual emergency seizure management plan.

Diabetic emergencies

Delegates learn to distinguish between the common features of:

• Hypoglycaemia
• Severe hypoglycaemia
• Hyperglycaemia
• Diabetic ketoacidosis and other signs requiring urgent escalation

Responses must follow the person’s individual diabetes care plan. Prescribed emergency treatments, including glucagon, must only be given by someone who has received the necessary training, has been assessed as competent and is authorised to undertake the task.

Gastrointestinal bleeding and shock

This section covers warning signs associated with a suspected gastrointestinal bleed, including:

• Vomiting fresh or altered blood
• Black or tar-like stools
• Pallor, sweating or weakness
• Dizziness, collapse or reduced responsiveness
• Changes suggesting circulatory shock

Delegates learn how to keep the person safe, obtain emergency assistance and communicate their observations clearly.

Clear communication is critical during a medical emergency. Delegates practise:

• Deciding when to call 999 or seek urgent clinical support
• Giving the exact location and access information
• Describing what has happened
• Reporting current symptoms and observations
• Explaining actions or medicines already given
• Identifying relevant medical conditions and care plans
• Using SBAR: Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation
• Following instructions provided by ambulance call handlers or clinicians
• Providing an effective handover when help arrives

Accurate records support continuity of care, organisational learning and future risk reduction. The course covers:

• Recording facts rather than assumptions
• Documenting times, observations and actions
• Recording emergency medicines where applicable
• Completing incident reports
• Preserving relevant information
• Informing the appropriate manager or healthcare professional
• Reviewing whether care plans, equipment or staff training need to be updated

Not every medical emergency can be prevented. However, earlier recognition and appropriate preparation can reduce avoidable harm.

The course considers:

• Knowing the person’s usual presentation and baseline
• Recognising subtle changes in their condition
• Maintaining current and accessible emergency care plans
• Checking that prescribed emergency medicines and equipment are available
• Understanding individual risks and escalation instructions
• Reporting concerns before significant deterioration occurs
• Learning from previous incidents and near misses

The course uses practical and inclusive learning methods rather than relying solely on presentation-based teaching. Activities may include:

• Realistic care and healthcare scenarios
• ABCDE assessment exercises
• Small-group decision-making activities
• Emergency prioritisation tasks
• Simulated calls for help
• Structured handover practice
• Case discussions
• Knowledge questions
• Reflection on previous workplace incidents

Examples can be adapted to the organisation’s service, policies and the needs of the people it supports.

Delegates are assessed throughout the course through:

• Tutor questioning and knowledge checks
• Participation in case-based activities
• Application of the ABCDE approach
• Scenario-based decision-making
• Demonstration of safe escalation and communication
• A final knowledge or scenario assessment

Constructive feedback is provided during the course. Where a delegate does not initially meet the required standard, further guidance and reassessment can be provided in accordance with the agreed training arrangements.

Delegates who participate fully and successfully meet the assessment requirements receive a Guardian Angels Training certificate of achievement, valid for two years.

Employers may require earlier refresher training following:

• A change in the person’s needs or emergency care plan
• An incident or near miss
• A change in staff responsibilities
• Updated national or local guidance
• An identified gap in knowledge or practice

The certificate confirms successful completion of this course. It does not, by itself, authorise someone to administer a prescribed emergency medicine or undertake a role-restricted clinical procedure. Any such responsibility requires the appropriate person-specific training, competency assessment, authorisation and governance arrangements.

We can tailor the programme around your organisation’s services and likely emergency situations. Additional or enhanced content can include:

• Sepsis recognition and escalation
• Anaphylaxis and adrenaline auto-injectors
• Epilepsy and buccal midazolam
• Asthma emergencies
• Diabetes and emergency glucagon
• Adrenal crisis
• Autonomic dysreflexia
• Basic life support, CPR and AED use
• Clinical observations and recognising deterioration
• Person-specific emergency care plans

Specialist emergency medicine administration may require a separate practical course and competency assessment.

How long is the Dealing with Medical Emergencies course?

The course lasts six hours and is normally completed over one day.

Is this course suitable for care workers?

Yes. It is designed for care workers, support workers, healthcare assistants, nurses and other people who may need to respond when someone becomes acutely unwell.

Can the course be used as refresher training?

Yes. It is suitable both for staff completing initial medical emergencies training and experienced staff who need to refresh or update their knowledge.

Does the course include the ABCDE approach?

Yes. Delegates learn how to use Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure to assess and prioritise the needs of an acutely unwell person.

Does this course replace first aid or basic life support training?

No. The course complements emergency first aid and basic life support training. Assessed CPR and AED training can be included or arranged separately where required.

Does the course authorise staff to administer emergency medicines?

No. A general medical emergencies course does not, on its own, authorise medicine administration. Staff must have appropriate medicine-specific training, person-specific information and a prescription, competency assessment and employer authorisation.

Can the course be tailored to our service users?

Yes. Relevant case studies, emergency care plans, equipment and escalation procedures can be incorporated into a bespoke programme.

How long is the certificate valid?

The Guardian Angels Training certificate is valid for two years. Employers should determine whether more frequent refresher training is required through their policies, risk assessments and service needs.

To discuss a standard or bespoke course, tell us:

• Your care or healthcare setting
• The roles of the staff attending
• The number of delegates
• The medical emergencies most relevant to your service
• Whether practical basic life support or emergency medicine training is also required
• Your preferred location and delivery date

Contact Guardian Angels Training to discuss your requirements and arrange a suitable programme.