Ligature Response Training – Annual Refresher

Ligature Response Training: Annual Refresher

Skills that must be maintained, not just acquired.

Ligature response is a time-critical, high-pressure practical skill. Like CPR, the competence built during initial training degrades without practice. Unlike CPR, most staff in ligature-risk environments will rarely, if ever, need to use it outside a training scenario. That is exactly why annual refresher training matters: the scenario where these skills are needed is also the scenario in which there is no time to recall half-remembered technique.

This 2-hour practical refresher is designed for staff who hold a current ligature response training certificate and want to maintain their practical proficiency between full requalification cycles. Annual refresher training is recommended as best practice and is required by the governance frameworks of many NHS Trusts, independent mental health providers, prison and probation services, and residential care organisations.

Who is this course for?

• Staff in inpatient mental health units, psychiatric wards and crisis centres who hold an in-date ligature response certificate
• Prison officers and probation staff with current ligature response training
• Residential care workers supporting people with complex needs, self-harm risk, or suicidal ideation
• Refuge workers and those supporting domestic violence survivors
• Looked-after children’s residential care staff
• Anyone whose role involves a foreseeable ligature risk and who holds a current certificate

Not yet trained? Start with our full Ligature Response Training course (4 hours). If you also need Basic Life Support, our combined Ligature Response and BLS course covers both in a single session.

Click here if you’d like to arrange a private course for your colleagues

What the Refresher Covers

• Reviewing ligature point awareness in your specific working environment
• Practising the safe approach and risk assessment prior to intervention
• Safe cutting technique, including refreshing method, tool handling and configuration-specific adaptations
• Casualty management after cutting, including positioning, airway management and CPR readiness
• Common errors and how to correct them
• Recent guidance updates, where applicable
• A brief scenario exercise applying skills under realistic time pressure

Course Details

This course is most commonly delivered as a private booking at the client’s premises. Practical exercises conducted in the actual working environment are substantially more effective than venue-neutral delivery for this subject.

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.

Course Times and Duration:

Venue:

• • Scheduled courses run at our training centre in Knutsford, Cheshire.
  • Visit our Joining Instructions page to read about what you will need to bring/wear, etc.

• You can also arrange to have a private course 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.
• Where your course is not being run at our main training centre, you’ll also receive an email with additional joining instructions including the venue address.

Language

• All training and assessment is undertaken in English.
• If you require any reasonable adjustments to enable you to undertake this course, please discuss these with us before making your booking.

Test:

• There is no written assessment.
• You will undertake practical assessments through the course.
• You are required to score 100% to achieve a pass.
• Your practical assessment is where you demonstrate an appropriate response as you would in an emergency situation. This includes;
  • dynamic risk assessment for ligature awareness,
  • being able to use the ligature cutting tools successfully,
  • being able to work on the floor providing CPR & using a defibrillator.
• If you require any reasonable adjustments to enable you to undertake your assessments, please discuss these with us before making your booking.

Certificate:

• This course is certified by Chris Garland Training.
• You will receive a pdf certificate following successful completion.

Pre-requisites:

Candidates:

Geographical coverage:

• While we can deliver this course in other countries, the protocols that we teach meet the current UK practice, protocols & guidance.

Private courses:

• To arrange a private course for yourself or your colleagues, please fill in our Quote request form.

Links:

During the course, candidates will get to practice using many different types of ligature cutters, including the following;

• Medical shears
• The “Shark” or “Big Fish” style of rescue knife
• Res-Q-Hook
• The Barrington LC1 folding rescue hooked knife
• The Barrington LC-UZI folding rescue hooked knife
• MAC Coltellerie TS01
• MAC Coltellerie TS05
• MAC Coltellerie 697 Rescue
• StatGear SuperVisor XT Auto Escape Tool
• Cable cutters
• Typical EN388 Cut level 5 gloves for use with the hooked bladed knives