Basic Life Support Training

A heart attack happens when a blockage stops blood flow to part of the heart muscle. The person is usually awake and breathing but may have chest pain. A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating properly, causing the person to collapse and stop breathing normally. A heart attack can sometimes cause a cardiac arrest, but they’re not the same thing.

The BLS course is a half-day session that mixes life-saving theory with a lot of hands-on practice. It’s focused, practical, and designed to give you the confidence to act quickly in an emergency without taking up your whole day.

Once you’ve shown you can put the skills into action, you’ll get a nationally recognised BLS certificate valid for 1 year. You’ll also take home a manual so you can refresh your knowledge any time. Think of it as your “starter kit” for real-life emergencies.

While the standard for trained responders is to give chest compressions and rescue breaths, hands-only CPR is highly effective and often recommended for the general public, especially if they are not confident with rescue breaths. The UK Resuscitation Council states that hands-only CPR is better than doing nothing at all. The key is to deliver high-quality chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute.

You should start CPR immediately if a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally. Slow, infrequent, or gasping breaths (often called agonal breathing) are not normal and should be treated as a sign of cardiac arrest. The first step is to check for danger, then check for a response by gently shaking their shoulders and shouting. If there’s no response, call 999 and start chest compressions.

Yes, you can and should use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). AEDs are designed for use by untrained bystanders, with clear voice prompts and visual instructions guiding you through every step. They are safe and will only deliver a shock if the machine detects a shockable heart rhythm. Using an AED significantly increases a person’s chance of survival.

It’s a common concern, but the short answer is that the person in cardiac arrest is already clinically dead, and any potential injuries, such as a cracked rib, are a small price to pay for a chance at life. The British Heart Foundation and other UK guidelines emphasize that giving CPR and using a defibrillator can double a person’s chances of survival. The risk of causing minor injury is far outweighed by the potential to save a life.