Paediatric First Aid
Debate between Ann Coffey and Mark Hunter(9 years, 11 months ago)
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Mark Hunter
I welcome the right hon. Gentleman’s intervention. The Millie’s Trust campaign has done an awful lot of work in this regard and is satisfied, I think, as most hon. Members who have considered the issue would be, that this can be done at no great cost. We hope that the Minister will make it clear that the Government are serious about their intention to address the subject. As other hon. Members have already said, with the benefit of hindsight, there is a loophole in the regulation that needs to be addressed urgently.
Ann Coffey (Stockport) (Lab)
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this very important debate and congratulate Millie’s Trust on its campaigning work on this issue. Was any member of staff on the premises that day trained in paediatric first aid? If there was, what happened?
Mark Hunter
Yes, there was. I mentioned just a few moments ago that, of the two paediatric first-aiders who were at the school at the time, one chose not to be involved, by going to look after the other children in the nursery, while the second member of staff with a qualification did carry out the back slaps, but then left the baby and went via the nursery grounds on to the main road to wait for the ambulance to arrive. So the child was actually left without the continual support of somebody qualified in paediatric first aid, which of course the guidelines clearly stipulate.
Ann Coffey
Would not the member of staff trained in paediatric first aid have appreciated the seriousness of the situation?
Mark Hunter
The only answer I can give is that one would like to think so. I think any parent would have assumed that to be the case. However, I will come on to that and to what the coroner said in this regard as well.