GPAtlasWhat it covers
How to recognise anaphylaxis and tell it from a faint or a panic attack. The first actions in a practice, from the 999 call and the patient's position to intramuscular adrenaline doses by age and when to repeat them. How a vaccine clinic prepares, what reception does, and what follows: hospital observation, notes, allergy referral and Yellow Card reporting.
Who it is for
All clinical staff: GPs and trainees, practice nurses, healthcare assistants, pharmacists and paramedics. Reception and administration for awareness, because vaccine clinics run through the front desk.
By the end you will be able to
- Recognise anaphylaxis from sudden Airway, Breathing or Circulation problems, with or without skin changes.
- Tell anaphylaxis from a faint or a panic attack, and treat when in doubt.
- Get help coming, position the patient safely, and never let them stand or walk.
- State intramuscular adrenaline doses by age, the injection site, and when to repeat.
- Prepare a vaccine clinic: the anaphylaxis pack, allergy questions, observation and reception's part.
- Know what follows: hospital observation, notes, allergy referral, Yellow Card reporting and restocking.
Modules
- Spotting anaphylaxis
- The first five minutes
- Vaccine clinics and reception
- After the emergency
This is the knowledge part of anaphylaxis training; your practice's emergency drug kit and emergency kit policy apply, and the auto-injector is practised face to face.
Content mapped to the Resuscitation Council UK guideline Emergency treatment of anaphylaxis (2021), the Green Book chapter 8 (2025) and NICE guideline NG258 (2026). Law named: Human Medicines Regulations 2012, regulation 238 and Schedule 19 (adrenaline given to save life in an emergency).
Sources
- Emergency treatment of anaphylaxis: guidelines for healthcare providers (Resuscitation Council UK, May 2021), full guideline PDF
- Emergency treatment of anaphylaxis: guideline page, confirming May 2021 as the most recent version (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Anaphylaxis algorithm 2021 (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Refractory anaphylaxis algorithm 2021 (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Management of anaphylaxis in the vaccination setting (Resuscitation Council UK and Public Health England, December 2020, updated August 2021)
- Anaphylaxis guidance for vaccination settings (Resuscitation Council UK, updated 10 August 2021)
- FAQs: anaphylaxis, including observation after immunisation, needle choice and auto-injectors (Resuscitation Council UK, October 2021)
- First Aid Guidelines 2025: anaphylaxis (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Vaccine safety and the management of adverse events following immunisation: the Green Book, chapter 8 (UKHSA, 28 May 2025)
- Contraindications and special considerations: the Green Book, chapter 6 (August 2017)
- Anaphylaxis: assessment and referral after emergency treatment, NICE guideline NG258 (27 May 2026, replaces CG134)
- GP mythbuster 1: Emergency care in general practice, including emergency medicines (Care Quality Commission, updated 25 February 2026)
- Adrenaline auto-injectors: new guidance and resources for safe use (Drug Safety Update, June 2023)
- Anaphylaxis (NHS website, reviewed 21 June 2023)
- Report a problem with a medicine or medical device: the Yellow Card scheme (GOV.UK)
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, regulation 238: medicines for use in an emergency
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, Schedule 19: adrenaline 1:1000 up to 1 mg for intramuscular use in anaphylaxis
- MHRA National Patient Safety Alert NatPSA/2023/004: Class 1 recall of Emerade 500 and 300 microgram auto-injectors (9 May 2023)
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Formulary: section 3.4.3, Anaphylaxis
GPAtlas is not accredited, verified or endorsed by Skills for Health or NHS England. Acceptance of this training is at the discretion of your employer, who remains responsible for confirming it meets local requirements. Your employer may require more frequent refreshers than the guidance period; the practice's own policy applies. Some pictures and films in our courses, and the film narration, are made with AI tools. We check every one for accuracy before we publish it.