First Aid at Work Courses

These courses are aimed at people who wish to become First Aiders in the workplace.

Our courses at RescueSkills are recognised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under statutory legislation. We are approved to deliver QCF courses by Qualsafe Awards as an Ofqual regulated Awarding Organisation, for your full and easy compliance with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 (as amended 2013).

The HSE indicate various "layers" of first aid training for the workplace:

1. First Aid at Work (Initial and Re-qualification)
2. Emergency First Aid at Work
3. Annual Refresher / Update
4. Appointed Person
5. Additional Training

Certificates of competence will be issued following successful completion of these courses by the learners. Assessment of the learners skills will be by continuous assessment by the trainer and in some cases by a final multiple choice exam. Certificates are valid for up to 3 years, with the strong recommendation from the HSE that qualified first aiders undergo annual refresher courses of at least three hours. Please note that in order to be awarded a certificate of competence in these courses, learners must be able to demonstrate that they are able to perform the relevant skills - it remains the employers responsibility to ensure that learners sent on these courses with a view to becoming workplace first aiders are physically and mentally fit to be able to perform the skills that may be required of them during their duties as a first aider*.

Learners may re-qualify their First Aid at Work qualification by attending a 2 day re-qualification course during the period of validity of their certificate. The re-qualification course will introduce any changes in legislation or protocols, and allow learners to practice their skills and raise any questions/concerns they may have. Learners wishing to attend a re-qualfication in First Aid at Work will need to produce evidence of their current competency either prior to, or on arrival at the course.

We offer these courses in Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire, Dorset, and further afield. We are based in Fareham, Hampshire.

HSE First Aid at Work Deregulation

On October 1st 2013 the HSE deregulated training in First Aid at Work, and ceased the registering and monitoring of training providers by the HSE. First aid training businesses are no longer allowed to claim HSE approval, and all such accreditations have been withdrawn. If a company is still claiming to be "HSE Approved", or that they deliver "HSE Approved First Aid Courses", you may wish to check very carefully on their credentials before allowing them to train your learners.

The principles of First Aid at Work remain much the same as they were; employers should still be considering the needs of workers taken ill or injured in accidents, and provide appropriate resources in the way of first aiders and equipment. This should be based on an assessment of the workplace's needs, however the qualifications required to be held by the first aiders have now been changed somewhat.

The HSE document L74, formerly referred to as the "Approved Code of Practice" has now been renamed "Guidance on Regulations" and remains as the principle guiding document as to the implementation of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. We recommend that those responsible for workplace first aiders download or purchase a copy of the regulations and familiarise themselves with this legislation.

Up until October 1st 2013, it was always strongly recommended by the HSE that First Aiders at Work held an HSE Qualification in First Aid at Work, and any company going against that advice risked incurring the wrath of the HSE, Local Authorities, and possibly the English/Welsh Courts should it be found that their procedures were inadequate. Following the publication of the Lofstedt Report, the HSE (in simple terms) decided that the best way forward was to allow businesses to take responsibility for their own first aid needs assessment, and to allow them to choose the appropriate training and training provider freely, albeit with some guidance on what content the courses should contain as a minimum, and who they considered qualified and experienced to deliver such training.

At RescueSkills we firmly believe in delivering a quality product, and are pleased to say that we have been approved by Qualsafe Awards to deliver their range of Ofqual regulated qualifications, hence making your choice in training suppliers easy. All your necessary due diligence has already been completed by Qualsafe Awards as part of our approval process. RescueSkills' trainers have many years of experience in delivering the HSE First Aid at Work suite of courses with some of the big name brands.

The trainers we use are all experienced in industry and workplaces; having been first aiders in those environments, and most are qualified to emergency ambulance crew levels or hold a health care professional status. They can bring their real-life experiences to the classroom, whilst putting the learners at ease, giving them confidence, and enabling them to learn in a fun way.

Whilst we are able to deliver all the courses in our First Aid at Work suite of courses under our own name, and may offer these to customers that insist on them, we recommend an accredited, regulated QCF qualification. Re-qualification may prove difficult with non-accredited courses if the training provider has not provided adequate evidence of learning, and credits gained with a QCF accredited course may be transferred towards other qualifications. In our view, training providers failing to provide accredited courses may be failing in their internal quality assurance processes, or cost cutting - neither of which benefit the employer or the learners, who may end up with potentially sub-standard training.

Useful First Aid at Work Links

• More information on other aspects of First Aid at Work is available here: www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid
• Need help with your first aid needs assessment? Try our free Qualsafe Awards First Aid Requirements calculator without obligation.
• Are you working in a school?
  Are you in compliance with the first aid regulations and guidance for schools?
  Find out what you need to implement your schools first aid plans here.

* Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 - Guidance on Regulations", HSE Document L74, Regulation 3 - Section 55

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