CPR Training - Is eLearning acceptable?

The GP Training requirements for April 2023 have been revised by the Royal College of General Practitioners, introducing important updates.

In a nutshell, trainees are now required to demonstrate their "In-Person" competency in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) on an annual basis. The significance of this change is emphasised by the article, which declares that relying solely on online evidence of CPR is no longer deemed acceptable as of 31 August 2022.

For the complete details, I invite you to access the full article through this link: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/mrcgp-exams/wpba/cpr-aed-safeguarding

While the aforementioned article primarily pertains to the Royal College of General Practitioners, many CQC registered services have raised the question of whether CPR training can be effectively delivered online. The unequivocal response to this query is a resounding NO. Electronic learning (eLearning) methods are deemed inadequate for CPR training.

In our pursuit of clarification, we sought guidance from the CQC, who directed us to the Skills for Care response, which can be summarized as follows:

Basic Life Support training must include practical CPR training as part of its delivery in order to satisfy the expectations of the CQC.  Every frontline care worker or equivalent working in CQC-regulated services in England would be expected to be suitably trained in Basic Life Support, including the practical elements of this course.  The Care Certificate is the minimum standard and the scope of that learning, including practical training and workplace assessment, is essential for anybody delivering frontline care in a regulated service.

We suspect some services would prefer to do all their learning online, but this will not provide the staff with suitable practical skills in some cases, especially around assisting and moving and Basic Life support.  Whilst there was a pausing of face-to-face training during the initial stages of the pandemic, this is no longer the case.

Source: Skills for Care