Health region under fire for new policy that forbids home support workers from administering CPR

By Karin Mark

Local home support workers can be fired if they try to save someone's life while on the job.

The Simon Fraser Health Region, which stretches from Maple Ridge to Burnaby, has introduced a new policy that prohibits its home support workers from administering cardio pulmonary resuscitation or the Heimlich manoeuvre to clients.

"That sounds very callous and inappropriate," said Dr. Marco Terwiel. The Maple Ridge physician is national commissioner for St. John Ambulance, an organization with a mandate of providing public first aid training.

"I don't know what daft bureaucrat dreamt this up, and it certainly is daft."

Home support workers provide in-home services such as bathing and house cleaning.

A member sent to Maple Ridge home support workers in July said the reason for the policy is the region does not expect them to be trained to correctly perform CPR or the Heimlich manoeuvre.

But a page out of the policy and procedure manual says the intent is to protect the client and the employee, and also to protect the region from financial or legal risk.

The policy suggests, instead, that home support workers call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency in a home while they are performing their duties. If requested to perform CPR or the Heimlich manoeuvre, the worker is to inform the paramedic and/or family members that they cannot.