4 Oct 2023
Two Linnaeus colleagues provide two days of training to upskill co-workers in becoming RECOVER rescuers.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
The head of nursing services at Northwest Veterinary Specialists (NWVS) has spearheaded a project to teach veterinary colleagues how to perform life-saving CPR techniques on cats and dogs.
Kathryn Latimer Jones spent two days training team members from across the UK to become RECOVER CPR rescuers, and was joined by fellow CPR instructor, Emily Thomas, an emergency and critical care specialist at fellow Linnaeus-owned DWR Veterinary Specialists.
Colleagues from NWVS and elsewhere, including Scotland and County Durham, attended the event to be upskilled in the latest cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques.
Ms Latimer Jones said: “The course teaches a specific set of guidelines to aim for successful CPR across the veterinary world.
“The first day involved training eight veterinary professionals to become certified rescuers. They then used the second day to pass on their knowledge to many members of the team at NWVS, including other vets, nurses, receptionists, patient care assistants, pharmacy assistants and sonographers, before heading back to their own practices.
“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we are creating a team of proactive and confident individuals so when patients suffer an arrest, we can ensure the best possible outcomes.”
Ms Latimer Jones became a CPR instructor after two days’ training in Sweden and has carried out emergency CPR on dogs and cats. She praised Sophie Adamantos, clinical director at fellow Linnaeus referral centre Paragon Veterinary Referrals, for the initial idea to train Linnaeus associates to the RECOVER standard.
She added: “Unfortunately, courses are not run frequently and are rarely available in the UK, which prompted myself and Emily, with backing from Sophie, to see if we could upskill the teams in the north who were responsible for training in their hospitals.
“We also wanted to create a network of like-minded people who can work together to create training resources and talk about their experiences of training in practice.”
