Global

Recognising and escalating the deteriorating patient: Early warning scores for nurses

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 13 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At onboarding, annually
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Grey areas
What would you do?

Mr Dlamini's score is below the call level but he looks different to you

Try it: this is one of 20 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Process, scenario, flashcards, tabs and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, poll, word cloud, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 305.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentnoneWhole course
SO 305.1Explain why patients deteriorate and why signs are missedExamples: NICE NG50; best practiceWhole course
SO 305.2Take accurate vital signs, avoid common errors and record them on the local chart + your infoExamples: NEWS2 (Royal College of Physicians); local policyWhole course
SO 305.3Use the local early warning score to decide the response, and know a score is a trigger not a substitute for judgement + your infoExamples: NEWS2; NICE NG50; local policyWhole course
SO 305.4Assess an unwell patient in an A to E order and recognise possible sepsis or respiratory failure, and ask for senior help + your infoExamples: Resuscitation Council UK guidelines; NICE NG51; Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelinesWhole course
SO 305.5Escalate with a structured message, speak up if you are not heard, and document and hand over afterwards + your infoExamples: The Code (NMC); best practiceWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 13 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why signs are missed

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
Evening observations on Ward 4TextImageChecklist
What gets in the way?Key factFlashcardsQuiz
2

Vital signs and the early warning score in brief

3 pages

7 min
Measure wellAccordionNote
The score chartTabsYour infoText
CheckFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

A to E: a structured look

3 pages

7 min
Five stepsProcessNote
Put it in orderSorting activity
Spot the patternTabsYour infoQuiz
4

Grey areas

3 pages

7 min
ScenarioScenarioYour info
ScenarioScenarioQuiz
Rank and matchSorting activityMatching quiz
5

Speak up and hand over

3 pages

7 min
SBARProcess
Who to tellProcessYour infoYour infoYour infoYour infoNote
ScenarioScenarioQuizButtonYour info
6

Final assessment

2 pages

5 min
PracticeQuiz
CompletionKey factListNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "act on what you see, not just what the chart says" (speaker notes: template page URL)
PollWhat stops people escalating? (Fear of being wrong · Busy ward · Not being heard · Unsure who to call)
ContentA to E and SBAR on one slide
QuizA patient is newly confused but the score is low. You…" (Treat it as a significant change and escalate ✔ · Assume it is age · Wait · Record only)
QuizYou escalated and were told to monitor, but the patient looks worse. You…" (Restate in SBAR and use the next level of the escalation route ✔ · Wait · Do nothing · Tell a friend)
Word cloudOne word for how it feels to call for help
Content · customiseCustomise: our score chart, rapid response route and sepsis tool" with {{EARLY_WARNING_SCORE_CHART}}, {{RAPID_RESPONSE_ROUTE}}, {{SEPSIS_SCREENING_TOOL}}
ScaleHow confident are you challenging a senior if you are worried?" 1 to 5
Open-ended / Q&AA time I escalated and it made a difference (no names)
Content · customiseClosing {{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you using SBAR? 1-5 scale
  6. Since the course, how many times have you escalated a concern? multiple choice
  7. What barrier did you meet when escalating? short text
  8. I feel safe escalating a concern even if I may be wrong. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the local early warning score policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

13 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Clinical education contact{{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}
  • Local policy link{{LOCAL_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Incident reporting route{{INCIDENT_REPORTING_ROUTE}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • Regulator and standards{{REGULATOR_AND_STANDARDS}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 13 fields
  • Early warning score chart{{EARLY_WARNING_SCORE_CHART}}
  • Rapid response route{{RAPID_RESPONSE_ROUTE}}
  • Sepsis screening tool{{SEPSIS_SCREENING_TOOL}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run recognising and escalating the deteriorating patient: Early warning scores for nurses training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At onboarding, annually, and after an escalation incident review.

Who needs this training?

Registered nurses, newly qualified and internationally recruited nurses, and healthcare assistants on adult inpatient wards and in care homes; run by the nurse educator or clinical education lead.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck