Patients presenting with dizziness or acute balance impairment are common in urgent and emergency care—but often complex, high-risk, and difficult to assess with confidence.

This course supports AHPs and nurses to confidently assess, differentiate, and manage dizziness presentations, using practical, structured approaches that improve decision-making, reduce risk, and support safe discharge and onward care.

You will develop the ability to move beyond surface-level symptoms to identify underlying causes, including vestibular, neurological, cardiovascular, and functional contributors.

What the course includes:

The course focuses on the real clinical challenge of dizziness, covering:

• Differentiating types of dizziness (pre-syncopal, disequilibrium, vertigo, non-specific)

• Recognising red flags and identifying high-risk presentations

• Assessing cardiovascular, neurological, and vestibular causes

• Using structured assessment approaches to support clinical reasoning

• Applying evidence-based treatment and early intervention strategies

• Understanding when to treat, when to escalate, and when to refer

Common presentations explored include:

• Cardiac causes (e.g. atrial fibrillation, orthostatic hypotension)

• Polypharmacy and adverse drug reactions

• Vestibular conditions (e.g. BPPV, other types of vertigo and vestibular neuritis).

How you will learn:

The course blends demonstration, guided practice, case-based discussion, and pathway-focused learning. Participants will be provided a light pens and hand-held eye charts to practise vestibular and visual assessments, ensuring they leave with skills they can apply immediately in clinical settings.

Aim and Objectives:

To provide clinicians with enhanced knowledge and practical skills to assess the underlying causes of dizziness and acute balance disturbance, and to plan and deliver safe, evidence-based interventions that support recovery, function, and self-management.

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

1. Differentiate between types of dizziness (pre-syncopal, disequilibrium, vertigo, non-specific) and identify associated risk factors.

2. Describe how blood pressure and cardiovascular factors influence balance, and recognise red flags and escalation requirements.

3. Identify central nervous system causes of dizziness and apply diagnostic assessments including the Head Impulse Nystagmus Test (HINTS).

4. Assess the vestibular system, vision, hearing, and proprioception, applying structured examination techniques and recognising red flags.

5. Perform assessment and management of vertigo, including Dix-Hallpike, Epley manoeuvre, and Brandt-Daroff exercises.

6. Apply principles of vestibular rehabilitation, demonstrating common exercises to support recovery.

7. Develop safe, person-centred management plans that integrate functional assessment, early interventions, self-management strategies, and appropriate discharge pathways.

8. Incorporate health promotion, pathway guidance, digital tools, and shared decision-making into care planning.

Demonstrate collaborative working and clinical leadership to optimise patient outcomes in urgent and emergency care.

CPD Time:

• Pre-course: 1–2 hours

• Course: 1 day

• Post-course: 1–2 hours

Total: 10–12 hours CPD