A suggestion made by representatives at Swanton’s People We Support Forum has led to a training success for six people supported in Wales.
During November’s People We Support Forum meeting, one representative expressed that they and others would love to learn alongside some of the support staff in upcoming courses.
When Quality Assurance Lead for Wales Andrea James suggested that she could run a Basic Life Support session, Senior Management team quickly gave the idea the green light.
Soon, plans were being made to run the first session.
Andrea explained: “When I mentioned the idea at the People We Support Forum, Phil Williams shot up out of his seat and said, ‘Yeah, I remember that - it was fab!’ and started showing us how to do CPR.
Phil’s reaction sparked interest from others in the group, so I arranged a slot for five people in January.
Kaye, Phil, Ross, Alex, Joe, & Thomas attended and were so enthusiastic as we did the training session. They really got stuck into the practical elements of the course.”
During the session, Andrea taught the group how to deal with a casualty who is breathing, in which they put their support staff in the recovery position.
“They also learned how to apply bandages and control bleeding if someone is injured and how to support a person who is choking. There was also a section on performing CPR on somebody who is not breathing.
Andrea added: “Everyone really enjoyed the course, it was so much fun.
“The people we support already had some amazing knowledge, far beyond what I could have imagined.
“We adapted the course to meet the needs of the group, but the support staff who attended also learned a thing or two.
“I gave everybody a certificate of attendance at the end, and they were very proud to receive it. It really moved me to see how much they got out of this, and I loved every minute of doing this session.”
