Ligature Response and Basic Life Support

Ligature Response and Basic Life Support

For those who need ligature response training but do not yet hold a first aid certificate.

Suicide by ligature, whether by hanging, strangulation or suffocation, and whether fully, partly or unsuspended, remains the most common method of suicide in the UK. Over 5,500 people took their own lives in 2021, and approximately 60% of those deaths involved a ligature. If your role carries a foreseeable risk of a ligature incident, training in how to respond is not optional.

This course is for those who do not hold an in-date first aid certificate. Our standard Ligature Response Training course (4 hours) assumes delegates already have current first aid training, and focuses specifically on ligature-related skills. This combined course is different. It covers everything in the standard ligature response course, plus Basic Life Support for adult and child casualties. As a result, delegates without a current first aid background leave fully equipped to respond to a ligature emergency from start to finish.

Who is this course for?

• Those working in prison or probation services
• Those working in refuges
• Those supporting people with complex needs, including physical and mental health conditions, child welfare concerns, family and relationship breakdown, offending behaviour, historic abuse, bereavement, substance misuse, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, childhood trauma and self-harm
• Those working with young people in residential care
• Those working in other higher-risk environments where ligature incidents are a foreseeable risk

What You Will Learn

Ligature response

• Ligature awareness: recognising ligature points and materials in your environment
• Ligature risk assessment
• Safe approach to a ligature incident
• Safe cutting technique, using multiple types of ligature cutter
• Protecting the cervical spine in the supine and recovery position for a casualty who has ligated

Basic Life Support

• Modified CPR for casualties who have ligated
• CPR for adult and child casualties
• Use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)
• Recovery position
• Choking response

Together, these skills allow you to provide effective first aid from the moment a ligature incident is discovered through to the point professional help can take over.

Course Details

Course Type:

• Face-to-Face training (maximum of 12 learners to 1 instructor).
• Note that this course cannot be delivered online – it’s a practical skill, so you need practical training.

Certificate:

• This Ligature Response and Basic Life Support course is certified by Chris Garland Training.
• You will receive a pdf certificate following successful completion.

Course duration:

• Around 7 hours;
  • 6 learning hours.
  • <1 hours break through the day.

Time:

• Typically 09:30-16:30hrs.
• Please note the exact times for your course booking.

Test:

• You will undertake practical assessments through the course.
• You are required to score 100% to achieve a pass.

Pre-requisites; Ligature Response and Basic Life Support Course:

• Age:
  • You must be over 18 years old to undertake the ligature removal training course due to the topics covered in the syllabus.
• Prior knowledge:
  • No previous knowledge/experience required as all training is covered during the face-to-face session.
• Comprehension:
  • We recommend that you have a reasonable understanding of English & maths (e.g. GCSE grade D-G/Level 1) before undertaking this course.
  • Please contact us to discuss any reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs.
• Physical ability:
  • You’ll need to demonstrate rescue and first aid procedures as you would in a real activity environment. This includes providing CPR to a casualty who is on the floor. Therefore you must be physically capable of doing this before attending the course.

Candidates:

• All courses have a minimum (4) and maximum (12) number of candidates that we can take on a course.
• Should you have more than 12 candidates that need to be trained, please contact us to discuss your training requirements.

Geographical coverage:

• This Ligature Response and Basic Life Support course is available to candidates throughout the UK.
• The course can be delivered in other countries, however the content has been developed in accordance with current UK practice, protocols & guidance which may differ from your national guidance.

Venue:

• Scheduled courses run at our training centre in Knutsford, Cheshire.
• Why not arrange to have a private courses run at your workplace? Simply fill in our quote request form to request a quotation.

Joining instructions:

• Visit this page to read the course joining instructions for the Ligature Response and Basic Life Support course.
• If a scheduled course is not being run at our main training centre, you’ll also receive an email with specific joining instructions, including the venue address, etc.

Private courses:

• To arrange a private Ligature Response and Basic Life Support course for yourself or your colleagues, please fill in our quote request form.

Useful links:

• Office for National Statistics – Suicides in the UK
• Medical shears
• The “Shark” or “Big Fish” style of rescue knife
• The Barrington folding bladed rescue hooked knife
• The Barrington fixed bladed rescue hooked knife
• Typical EN388 Cut level 5 gloves for use with the Barrington knives

Choosing the Right Ligature Course

We offer three ligature-related courses. Choose whichever matches your situation:

• You already hold an in-date first aid certificate and need ligature-specific training: Ligature Response Training (4 hours)
• You do not hold an in-date first aid certificate: Ligature Response and Basic Life Support (this course)
• You are already trained in ligature response and need to maintain your skills: Ligature Response Annual Refresher (2 hours)

If you are unsure which applies, contact us to discuss your team’s situation.