GPAtlasWhat it covers
How to tell that someone has gone into cardiac arrest, including gasping, which is easily mistaken for breathing, and how to get help moving in a GP practice. Chest compressions, the defibrillator, choking and the recovery position, at the level anyone in the building can act on. What your practice is expected to have ready, and what happens once the ambulance has gone.
Who it is for
Reception, administration, secretarial and domestic staff, managers and volunteers: anyone in a GP practice who may reach a collapsed person before a clinician does. Clinical staff need Level 2.
By the end you will be able to
- Recognise cardiac arrest, including the gasping that looks like breathing.
- Raise the alarm your practice's way, and call 999 without waiting.
- Give chest compressions 5 to 6 cm deep, 100 to 120 a minute.
- Find the defibrillator, switch it on and follow what it says.
- Act on choking, and use the recovery position when someone is breathing.
- Know what a practice keeps ready, and what happens after an arrest.
Modules
- Recognising it and raising the alarm
- Chest compressions
- The defibrillator
- Choking and the recovery position
- The practice's part
This is the knowledge part of resuscitation training. Compressions and the defibrillator are practised on a manikin with a trainer, and a Level 1 update is expected every year.
Content mapped to the learning outcomes of the Core Skills Training Framework (England) v1.1: Resuscitation, Level 1. Law named: Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 12.
Sources
- Adult basic life support Guidelines (Resuscitation Council UK, 27 October 2025)
- Adult basic life support in community settings algorithm 2025 (Resuscitation Council UK)
- First Aid Guidelines: adult choking and the recovery position (Resuscitation Council UK, 27 October 2025)
- Adult choking algorithm 2025 (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Paediatric basic life support Guidelines (Resuscitation Council UK, 27 October 2025)
- Paediatric choking algorithm 2025 (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Adult advanced life support Guidelines: defibrillation safety and implanted devices (Resuscitation Council UK, 2025)
- Adult in-hospital resuscitation algorithm 2025, switching the compressor (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Quality Standards: Primary care (Resuscitation Council UK, published November 2013, last updated May 2020)
- Quality Standards: primary care equipment and drug lists (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Guidance: Defibrillators, frequently asked questions (Resuscitation Council UK)
- Public access defibrillators: A guide for communities (Resuscitation Council UK)
- How to do CPR, including pad placement (Resuscitation Council UK)
- GP mythbuster 1: Emergency care in general practice (Care Quality Commission, updated 25 February 2026)
- GP mythbuster 24: Recording patient safety events with the LFPSE service (Care Quality Commission)
- Core Skills Training Framework (England) Statutory/Mandatory Subject Guide v1.1, June 2021 (Skills for Health), Resuscitation: Key Learning Outcomes, Level 1 (archived copy)
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 12: safe care and treatment
- What happens when you call 999 (London Ambulance Service NHS Trust)
- Decisions relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 3rd edition (1st revision) 2016 (British Medical Association, Resuscitation Council UK and Royal College of Nursing), key recommendation 24: initial presumption in favour of CPR where nothing is recorded
- European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2025: Adult Advanced Life Support, defibrillation safety (shaving, implanted devices)
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.