Anaphylaxis Awareness

Anaphylaxis Awareness Training. Half a day. Hands-on AAI practice. The knowledge your team needs to act when every second counts.

Course Overview

During one of our sessions, a learner told us what had happened to her friend. They had been at a party together when her friend went into anaphylaxis. She did not recognise what she was seeing. She did not know what an adrenaline auto-injector was, let alone how to use one. She froze. A stranger stepped in. Her friend survived.

That is not an unusual story. People do not know what they do not know. And anaphylaxis does not give you time to work it out in the moment.

Anaphylaxis Awareness Training gives staff in any setting the knowledge to recognise a severe allergic reaction quickly, understand what is happening, and respond correctly, including the safe and confident use of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs). It covers both EpiPen and Jext. Learners practise on trainer devices, not just watch a demonstration. By the end of the session, they know what they are looking at and what to do about it. The course reflects current clinical guidance from the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines, Anaphylaxis UK, and Allergy UK.

The legal and regulatory framework around anaphylaxis preparedness has strengthened significantly. For schools and nurseries, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 permit the holding of spare AAIs without prescription. From September 2026, Benedict’s Law, brought into force via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, makes allergy awareness training a statutory requirement for all school staff in England. For health and social care providers, CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires staff to recognise and respond to medical emergencies. Anaphylaxis is one of the most time-critical a team will ever face.

Course Details

  • Duration: 2 to 3 hours
  • Delivery: Face-to-face, in-house at your workplace or chosen venue
  • Certificate: Anaphylaxis Awareness certificate (CPD-accredited or Worksafe, depending on your requirements)
  • Validity: Annual refresher recommended
  • Group size: Flexible

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for staff in any setting where a severe allergic reaction could occur, which, in practice, means most settings.

  • Schools, colleges, and early years and childcare environments, including those preparing for Benedict’s Law compliance from September 2026
  • Health and social care services, including care homes and domiciliary care providers, working under CQC regulation
  • Hospitality, catering, and food service roles where allergen management is part of the day-to-day
  • Workplaces where staff, clients, or visitors may have known or unknown allergies
  • Community and public-facing roles where a staff member may be first on the scene
  • Any team where existing allergy awareness knowledge needs refreshing or formalising

No prior first aid knowledge is needed. If your team needs broader first aid coverage alongside this training, our Emergency First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid courses provide that.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, and the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations that book with us:

  • 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on the qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

What Learners Will Be Able to Do

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

  • Recognise the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and distinguish them from a mild allergic reaction
  • Identify the most common allergens and triggers, including foods, insect stings, medications, and latex
  • Use an adrenaline auto-injector safely and confidently, including both EpiPen and Jext devices
  • Respond to a suspected anaphylactic reaction in line with the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines
  • Manage casualty positioning and airway while waiting for emergency services
  • Know when and how to call 999 and what information to give the operator
  • Explain why adrenaline is the first-line treatment and why antihistamines are not an appropriate substitute
  • Carry out aftercare, monitoring, and reporting responsibilities following a reaction
  • Understand the legislative framework relevant to their setting, including Benedict’s Law for education staff and CQC Regulation 12 for health and social care providers

What the Day Covers

All content reflects the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines and current guidance from Anaphylaxis UK and Allergy UK throughout. Topics covered include:

  • What anaphylaxis is and how it differs from a mild allergic reaction
  • Common causes and allergens: the 14 major allergens, insect stings, medications, and latex
  • Signs and symptoms across skin, airway, breathing, and circulation
  • Why adrenaline is a first-line treatment and why delays are dangerous
  • Adrenaline auto-injectors and nasal spray in practice: EpiPen, Jext, and Neffy, how each works, how to use them, and when a second dose may be needed
  • The emergency response: positioning, calling 999, monitoring, and what to tell the operator
  • Primary survey and casualty care while waiting for emergency services
  • Aftercare, observation, and reporting responsibilities
  • The legislative framework for your setting
  • Allergy action plans and individual healthcare plans
  • Storage, checking, and replacing AAIs & Nasay sprays

Every course is also built to include your industry-specific common risks and your organisation’s incident reporting systems as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered face-to-face only. Knowing what an AAI looks like on a slide is not the same as picking one up and using it under pressure.

Sessions are delivered at your workplace or chosen venue. Groups are capped at 12 to ensure every learner gets sufficient hands-on time. Every session is built around your working environment, your sector’s risks, and your internal reporting procedures. We also design each course to incorporate your specific workplace hazards, your organisation’s layout, and the findings of your needs assessment. If you haven’t carried out a needs assessment yet, we can guide you through what’s involved during the enquiry process.

Delivery includes:

  • Plain-language explanation of the clinical content, without the jargon
  • Hands-on practice with trainer devices: EpiPen and Jext auto-injectors and Neffy nasal spray trainers
  • Realistic scenarios drawn from the sectors learners actually work in
  • Discussion of your setting’s specific allergy risks, procedures, and any existing action plans
  • Time for questions. Anaphylaxis generates them, and they deserve proper answers

Why This Training Matters

The duty to prepare staff for medical emergencies runs across UK legislation and regulation. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, every employer has a legal duty to take reasonable steps to protect employees. In any workplace where an allergic reaction could occur, which covers virtually every setting, awareness training is a basic part of managing that risk.

For health and social care providers, CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires providers to ensure staff can recognise and respond to medical emergencies safely. Anaphylaxis is one of the most time-critical emergencies staff may encounter, and training is one of the most direct ways providers evidence that the standard is met.

For schools and nurseries, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 permit the holding and use of spare AAIs without prescription.

From September 2026, Benedict’s Law makes allergy awareness training a statutory requirement for every school in England. All staff must be trained in allergy awareness and AAI use. Schools must hold spare, in-date AAIs on site. Every pupil with a known allergy must have an individual healthcare and allergy action plan. And every school must have a whole-school allergy and anaphylaxis policy in place.

If your school isn’t already doing this, you’re behind.

The clinical picture reinforces all of it. The Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines are explicit: adrenaline is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis and should be given early. Delays in administering adrenaline are a recurring finding in fatal reactions. Antihistamines are not an appropriate first-line response and must never be used in place of an AAI where anaphylaxis is suspected.

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive an Anaphylaxis Awareness Certificate. The awarding body, CPD-accredited or Worksafe, is confirmed at the enquiry stage, depending on your organisation’s requirements.

There is no formal expiry, but annual refresher training is strongly recommended. Anaphylaxis guidance continues to evolve, the legislative position for schools is actively changing, and confidence using an AAI is a practical skill that benefits from regular reinforcement. For schools with a September 2026 deadline under Benedict’s Law, refreshing that training before the statutory requirements come into force is not optional.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey. All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Every trainer holds an Enhanced DBS certificate. Groups are capped at 12 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

FAQs

Is anaphylaxis awareness training a legal requirement?

It depends on your setting. For schools in England, yes, from September 2026, when the statutory requirements under Benedict’s Law come into force. All school staff will be required to receive training in allergy awareness and emergency response, including AAI use. For health and social care providers, CQC Regulation 12 requires staff to be competent to respond to medical emergencies. For all other employers, the duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies. In any setting where an allergic reaction could occur, training is a basic part of managing that risk.

Should you give adrenaline if you are not sure it is anaphylaxis?

Yes. The Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines are explicit: if in doubt, give IM adrenaline and monitor the response. The risk of giving adrenaline unnecessarily is significantly lower than the risk of withholding it during a genuine anaphylactic reaction. Delays in administering adrenaline are a common factor in fatal outcomes..

Can schools hold spare adrenaline auto-injectors?

Yes. Since the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 came into force, schools and local authority maintained nurseries have been permitted to purchase spare AAIs without a prescription. The MHRA has confirmed that in exceptional emergencies, a spare school AAI can be used for any person experiencing anaphylaxis on school premises, even without a prior diagnosis or written parental consent. From September 2026, holding spare in-date AAIs will be a mandatory statutory requirement for schools under Benedict’s Law.

Which auto-injectors does this course cover?

We cover EpiPen, Jext, and Neffy, the three adrenaline delivery devices currently licensed for use in the UK. Emerade was recalled by the manufacturer due to misfiring incidents and is not currently available. Learners practise with trainer devices for all three, because the technique differs between them, and none is intuitive without hands-on practice. Neffy is the first adrenaline nasal spray licensed in the UK, and we carry nasal trainer devices so learners can practise that delivery method too.

Related Courses

Book or Enquire

To book this course or request a quote for your team, use the enquiry form on this page or contact us directly. Tell us your team size, your sector, and your preferred dates. We’ll come back with a quote and any advice on qualification level if you need it.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.

All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from Anaphylaxis UK, Allergy UK, the Resuscitation Council UK, the MHRA, the Department for Education and current UK legislation, including the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 and the incoming statutory guidance under Benedict’s Law.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin – Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer Last Reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027

This course provides awareness-level training in anaphylaxis recognition and emergency response. It does not replace organisational allergy policies, individual healthcare plans, or clinical assessment. In all cases of suspected anaphylaxis, emergency services must be called immediately. All content reflects current Resuscitation Council UK guidance and UK legislative requirements as of April 2026.

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