UKC

Hi 

My wife has been going to yoga classes for years. Her asthma has worsened in the last year but she keeps on top on her meds and monitors her own wellbeing day to day. She informed the yoga instructors about her asthma as she may cough or need to take a break during classes and the actual instructors were fine and supportive. 

However the manager since contacted her and asked for an asthma plan if an attack occurred and at the end of the standard plan there is reference to CPR if she collapsed. However that's not at all likely: the asthma goes through cycles in line with her meds (periodic steroids - about every 2-3 months) and any time she's in the risk zone, she would simply not be going and that's how she has been doing it for the last few months.

Now the manager said she cannot be taken on as none of the instructors/staff are trained in CPR 

Is that legal, to deny entry to the class, on those grounds? Keeping fit is also very important to her, both for her mental health as well as physical. Being unfit etc. makes the impact of asthma worse.

That sounds like an over the top response and a very counter intuitive one for the health of your wife.

Consider that a lot of yoga classes involve older retired people ( a friend of ours runs such a class) who could due to problems of age require CPR. It could be argued that not having staff trained in first aid is legally dodgy in a public space. I know that at our council run sports centre it was a legal requirement for there to be at least some staff with training and a qualified first aider on site.

What would the manager's legal position be if a class member had an undisclosed medical issue requiring first aid?

Thanks for replying 

That last point is something my wife considered too. Probably very common.

Asthma would generally, if you can't control it to the equivalent of an average person, be considered a disability, and thus this would be open to challenge.  I think training staff in CPR would be a reasonable adjustment - indeed it'd be a good thing for any fitness instructor to be trained!

There are plenty of us, though, who have it and almost never if ever have full-on asthma attacks.  I've had one once when I went running in very cold weather in Switzerland, plus one more when I did a sprint finish at the end of a race on a very hot day, but to be fair that was when I also had an undiagnosed pulmonary embolism which might just have contributed

Maybe a new plan needs to be devised that takes into account mild asthma?

 With good management she should be able to avoid a debilitating attack, that management will probably be a combination of medication and listening to her breathing and adjusting activity levels. Hence speaking to the instructor and explaining that she may need to stop it take a break or use her inhailor.

As others have said I'd seriously question the health and safety policy of the company if they don't have first aid trained (incl CPR) staff on-site at all times. 

I would maybe discuss some hand signals with the instructor. One to say inhaylor (I need, please get/find it for me), one to say I'm ok (leave me alone to get my breathing under control), and a final one to indicate help (I'm struggling and need assistance/ambulance).

Miming using an inhaylor, a diving OK and a wobbly horizonal wave would be reasonably easy to learn and recognise - as I'm sure you know talking is the last thing you need to do when struggling with your breathing.

I believe every gym has to have someone who is qualified to give CPR there at all times.

I'm not sure if where your wife goes is a gym or not, but if they are holding yoga classes are they not by definition a gym?

Alternatively if your wife isn't concerned about needing an intervention she could just claim her asthma has now gone. I know that's a ridiculous thing to claim, but can the yoga company claim otherwise?

As someone who works in Respiratory healthcare I find that very disturbing. Exercise and avoidance of deconditioning is a core component of health promotion.

She should probably ask for confirmation that all other attendees are documented as "Do Not Attempt Resuscitation", because the chance of medical emergency is merely a matter of risk, not absolute.

I'd suggest your wife considers very hard pushback. Could consider recruiting GP/specialist. Asking advice from Asthma UK would be another route to consider.

...

I'm a bit confused about the reference to "the standard plan"? Does your wife not have an asthma plan tailored to herself from her GP?

I can't lay my hands on my own plan (i refer to it only very infrequently) but i think it just says what inhalers I should use and in what circumstances, and when I should be reassessed. I don't recall any reference to CPR!

I didn't even know I had one!  Just have inhalers and know how to use them.

I'm genuinely flummoxed that a fitness company doesn't see basic first aid as a requirement for their staff, though.  Perhaps the best answer is to find a fitness company that actually cares instead!

Very good point about disability. I think they may have fallen foul of the Equality Act 2010

Many thanks! That's been encouraging for her to read.