Every 5 years, new Resuscitation Guidelines are released which are based on any new available evidence. We implemented changes as soon as the guidelines were released. After all – the new resuscitation guidelines are based on the most up to date evidence – so it wouldn’t make sense to train techniques that have been shown to be less effective than their replacements. So what’s been updated?

Here are the key changes you need to know:

Adult Basic Life Support

Recognising Cardiac Arrest and what to do

• If someone is unresponsive, call 999 immediately. You do not have to confirm abnormal breathing before calling.  
• Assess breathing while you wait for the call handler to answer (the call handler can help identify abnormal breathing).  
• Assume cardiac arrest if the person is unresponsive and has abnormal breathing (including slow, agonal, or panting patterns).  
• If in doubt, start CPR.

Why is this important?

Around 115,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests are reported to ambulance services each year, with resuscitation attempted in approximately 43,000 cases. Most cardiac arrests happen at home, in men, and in adults aged over 65, with 80% of cardiac origin. Bystander CPR is provided in 60-73% of cases, though AED use remains under 10%.

Remember Correct Defibrillator Pad Placement

There’s a lot being posted on the internet by First Aid training providers emphasising the ‘updated’ defibrillator pad placements. These pad placements are not new. This has been the correct placement for defibrillator pads for some time. At Life Saving Training we continuously work very hard to remain up to date and understand evidence based medical interventions rather than try and catch up every 5 years. We’ve been teaching the correct placement and emphasising the importance for several years already. Here’s a reminder:

Paediatric Basic Life Support

Remember, give 5 initial rescue breaths and use the hands free function on your phone if available to call 999 whilst performing CPR. If you don’t have a phone immediately available – provide 5 initial rescue breaths and 1 minute of CPR before leaving them to call 999.

So what’s new?

First off, there are clear age categories defined which impact specific skills or techniques.

Infant = up to 1 year

Child = 1-12 years

Adolescent = 13-18 years

• Use a compression-to-breath ratio of 15:2 if trained in paediatric basic life support (for all age categories, up to the age of 18); otherwise, use a ratio of 30:2. 
• Use the two-thumb encircling method for chest compressions in infants (up to one year). Evidence shows the 2‐thumb technique achieves better quality of chest compressions than the 2-finger method and causes less rescuer pain and fatigue.
• In infants and children weighing less than 25 kg (up to about the age of 8): place one pad mid-chest, immediately left of the sternum, and the other pad on the back, in-between the shoulder blades.

To be clear, if you have completed Paediatric First Aid training and are still in date, you can switch to now using a ratio of 15 compressions to 2 breaths (for all children up to the age of 18) and the encircling method instead of two fingers (for infants).

If you forget, don’t worry. It’s much, much better to do something than stall, trying to decide what to do!

First Aid in the Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines

The 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines introduce first aid as a new chapter, recognising it as the first link in the chain of survival. It emphasises early action, scene safety, ABCDE assessment, and calling 999 promptly. The guidance covers key medical, traumatic, and environmental emergencies, promotes simple evidence-based interventions, and supports inclusive training that empowers anyone to act.

It’s fantastic to see the inclusion of this chapter, which also recognises the emotional impact of being involved in an emergency, something we’ve highlighted in all our courses for several years. 

The new chapter highlights the use of a structured first aid assessment of a person appearing ill, injured or in shock (ABCDE) – again, a structured system already embedded into our training. The guidelines remind us to use the ABCDE framework to structure your assessment of a person in need.

What Next?

Training providers and Awarding Organisations have 12 months to update resources and implement the changes, but we’re acting straight away. This is just one benefit of using Life Saving Training – we not only work hard to stay up to date – but we actively review evidence so we know what’s coming. This allows us to ensure you’re in the best position possible to help those in need. Want to keep your skills sharp with a provider who stays ahead of the curve? Just get in touch – we’d love to help!