Tag: carers first aid

A series of letters laid on a surface with 'SELF HARM' and 'HELP' spelled out.

When a child self-harms – A parent’s advice

Written by Jill on February 27, 2024. Posted in Accident Prevention for Babies and Children, Child and Adult Health, Health, Mental Health.

When I was younger, I assumed I’d have to lock up sharp items for my child’s safety when they were a toddler, not a strapping teen.

However, for the last six years of my child’s adolescence, all sharps, such as knives, graters, and even sweetcorn holders, have been locked away like the Crown Jewels.

Self Harm & Mental Illness

Self-harm may be the first sign that your child has developed a mental health condition.

If so, knowing what to do for the best is hard once you’ve patched them up for the first time. As a parent, here’s my advice:

1. Within reason, lock up everything that your child can use to cause harm.

Knives, razors and medicines are clear candidates for incarceration, but would you think to lock away pencil sharpeners, Stanley knives, extension leads and food processor attachments? Don’t forget to check the bedrooms of any children in your house as many stationery kits include compasses, pencil sharpeners and scissors.

2. Don’t hesitate to seek support from your GP.

Waiting lists for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are often long. You want to get your child onto a list as quickly as possible. Check your employee benefits package to see if it includes mental health support for your dependents. Raid your piggy bank if you have the funds to consider going private. Blood tests might help you find contributing factors, such as vitamin deficiency.

3. Document everything.

Find a secure way to keep a note of all self-harming behaviours. Look for patterns and potential triggers. Note any calls you make to the school, GP and other support services. If possible, follow up calls with an email so you have proof.

4. Become ‘that parent’.

Put reminders to chase referrals into your calendar. Have meetings with your child’s school, especially if you suspect that bullying, performance anxiety or anxiety around school in general is part of the picture. Find out what they can do to help relieve pressure on your child and keep them safe and well. At this stage, your child’s well-being trumps any need to achieve the highest possible number of qualifications. It’s a little-known fact that as soon as it is clear that a child will be away from school for 15 days or more because of their health needs, the local authority should arrange suitable alternative provision. The 15 days may be consecutive or over a school year.

5. Apply for an Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) for your child or teenager.

You may be able to attend a free training course from your local SENDIASS team. There is one in every local authority. If you can’t make it, there are some great groups on Facebook where you can find support.

6. Nurture your relationship with your child, even if they seem to push you away.

Teens can be notoriously close-lipped, especially when faced with a concerned parent. Taking them for a drive will give them the chance to talk to you without having to make eye contact. If your child has thoughts about throwing themselves out of a car, try talking whilst you watch a bit of mindless telly, colour or bake.

7. Find someone you can talk to.

When someone in a family has a mental health condition, they’re not the only person that suffers. Parents need to be able to voice their worries in a safe space, away from their children. Ask if your GP has a social prescriber who can help you find some support. After five years, I was showing signs of PTSD and needed help myself. Fortunately, free EMDR therapy from the local Healthy Minds team changed my life, giving me the courage to leave the house for the odd hour here and there. Before it, I’d become as housebound as my son had.

8. Think carefully about any advice you receive before acting on it.

I especially struggled with the suggestion that I should put together a special box for my child so he had a clean blade to use if he got the urge to self-harm. I did follow the advice to learn basic aid and have a well-stocked first aid cabinet. Knowing I have the right equipment and knowledge helps me stay calm(er) during an incident.

9. Be honest with your employer.

You will want to check your phone the minute it pings. You may also need to disappear at short notice.

10. Above all, hang in there!

There are other sources of support to talk to and apps to support your child. Have a look at Young Minds and Kooth. You may also find support from local charities via Google.

A note from our founder, Tina, “Our guest author wishes to remain anonymous to protect her child’s identity. We thank her for sharing her thoughts and send our best wishes to her son. If you’re affected by this story, we can help you learn basic first aid without leaving your home. Our online Family First Aid course takes two hours, but you can take a break whenever you need to.”

A medic in trousers teaching CPR on a dummy to a person in jeans.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest & Defibrillator Training

Written by roma on April 28, 2016. Posted in Child and Adult Health, Compliance, First Aid, Health, News for trainers, News for workplaces, Workplace Safety.

The death of Captain David Seath, a fit army man in last Sunday’s London Marathon once more brings to our attention how sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can hit so suddenly and without any warning.

Someone in the prime of their life, a seemingly healthy person isn’t supposed to collapse and die.

His death comes two years after another London marathon runner Robert Berry, 42, collapsed and died just after crossing the marathon finishing line and runner Claire Squires, 30 died during the 2012 race.

The fact that it is quite rare is why it grabs the headlines.

Understanding Sudden Cardiac Arrest

So what is SCA?

When you hear about someone particularly a young person dropping dead we immediately think about a heart attack but sudden cardiac arrest is different.

A heart attack is when the blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly.

A heart attack is a “circulation” problem and sudden cardiac arrest is an “electrical” problem.

Most heart attacks do not lead to Sudden Cardio Arrest.

Signs of a SCA:

Victims of SCA will:

Lose their pulse
Then consciousness
Then the ability to breathe

All this can happen within seconds and without the immediate use of a defibrillator 90-95 percent of SCA victims will die.

Is The UK Behind On Recognising Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

So what to do?

Can we be prepared?

Should there be screening available to sports professionals and those partaking in regular sports activities?

You would think so. But there is conflicting advice.

European Nations Are Ahead Of Us?

In Italy, where screening is mandatory for all young people engaged in organised sport, they say it has reduced the incidence of sudden cardiac death by 89%.

However, according to the latest research just released from The Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre ‘screening young athletes to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) should be abandoned, and is counterproductive.’

It says that ‘the effectiveness of screening has not been substantiated and that its potential to reduce deaths is likely to be low because of the poor detection rate and uncertain effectiveness of managing cardiovascular diseases in asymptomatic individuals.’

“Some people accept that it might be useless, but we go one step further and say that it’s even harmful, and this seems to be something new,” says cardiologist Dr Hans Van Brabandt of The Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre

For more information on this read “Harms and benefits of screening young people to prevent sudden cardiac death” at BMJ.

SCA & Difibrillators

What we do know for certain though is that the use of a defibrillator could make the difference between life and death.

This is why it is so important that there are defibrillators available everywhere, particularly at all sporting events, in leisure centres, public and workplaces.

And that more and more people are trained in how to use them.

It is not rocket science, in fact, the new defibrillators on the market now are very easy to use.

On Safe and Sound First Aid Courses, in line with the latest Resuscitation UK Guidelines, we now include teaching the use of defibrillators.

Hopefully, you will never need that knowledge. But if you’re prepared for the worst then you may save a life.

An elderly couple are holding hands in a hospital bed.

Should Carers Be Able To Provide Basic Life Support?

Written by roma on April 24, 2016. Posted in Compliance, First Aid, Health, News for Healthcare Professionals, News for workplaces.

How impressed was I when Skills for Care introduced its new Care Certificate last March?

This new certificate aims to equip health and social care support workers with the knowledge and skills which they need to provide safe, compassionate care.

It is the new minimum standards that should be covered as part of the induction training of new care workers. At last, I thought, someone is taking the caring profession seriously.

My Experience With Basic Life Support For Carers

I had experienced first-hand the diverse standards of care available when 11 years ago I was searching for someone to help care for my widowed mother who was showing signs of early dementia.

Back then I paid an agency £950 a week for full-time live-in help and I shudder to think what it must cost now.

My mother’s carer, although very nice, had no real training, apart from a brief agency induction course, which told her more about what she couldn’t do, rather than how to do what she should be doing.

Luckily I lived a few minutes away so I could be on hand most of the time except when I went up to Scotland for work and received a phone call.

A Lack Of Basic Training

“I think there may be something wrong with your mother as she is walking around talking gibberish!” said the carer.

… Of course, I knew immediately she had suffered a stroke and I hot-footed it down South.

Sadly it was a bad stroke and she died a few months later.

The lack of training for many carers back then was quite evident so when this care certificate was introduced, I was pleased, particularly to see that Basic Life Support was part of the training package.

Life Support Should Be A Priority For Carers

Having run Safe and Sound, a first aid training company, for the past 15 years, basic life support is always at the forefront of my thoughts.

Imagine my surprise then, when I approached some care agencies to see if they would like more information about our Basic Life Support Training for carers, and I was greeted with:

“Our carers aren’t allowed to resuscitate our clients.”

“Why not”, I asked, adding “So why is it part of the new Care Certificate?”

“Our insurance will not cover the carers doing CPR,” was the answer.

“You mean,” I said rather anxiously, “If one of your carers is looking after someone who does not have a DNR instruction, and they stop breathing, your carer does nothing.”

“They must just call 999 and wait for the emergency services to arrive,” replied the Care Agency Manager who was by now getting rather irritated.

It is no secret that the emergency services can take up to 8 minutes to arrive and that once the heart stops there are only around 3 minutes before the brain starts to die.

“So are they just to stand by watching their client die then? “ I said incredulously.

At this point the Manager put the phone down on me, making me feel a bit like an ambulance chaser rather than an extremely confused and anxious member of the public. Albeit with a first-aid training company.

No One Has Ever Been Sued For TRYING To Administer First Aid

It is a sad reflection on our society if we are so fearful of litigation that it stops us from trying to save someone’s life.

I wind back 11 years and wonder what I would have done if my mother, who apart from forgetting things, was a healthy older person, had stopped breathing. And the carer, who I was paying £950 a week, had done nothing but wait for the emergency services.

Bad enough that she couldn’t recognise a stroke!

It is all very for the agencies to say that we do not have a Good Samaritan Act here in the UK. No one has ever been sued for trying to administer first aid. But I might have just felt like taking legal action myself!

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