Which First Aid Course Do I Need?
First Aid is a vital and potentially lifesaving skill to have. However, knowing the right type of First Aid qualification to undertake, can be a challenge.
If you are an employee in a company, your employer may have sent you on a course that they know will cover the things that you could be likely to face in your work setting. If you are self employed, lone work, or are looking for a career change, you may not be entirely sure what you need.
Rest assured, you’re in the right place! Here at Anglia CPR, we work with you to ensure you get the right training, not only for your professional or personal requirements, but to give you the confidence that you need, should you ever be in a situation where First Aid is required.
Where should I start?
A core starting point is the Health and Safety Executive website. This has information to helps you assess your First Aid needs and looks at a variety of factors such as; people, location and history of accidents, in order for you to gain a better understanding into the right level of first aid provision.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/firstaid/index.htm
First aid at work: Guidance on regulations - HSE
Which First Aid Qualification Do I need?
The two most common workplace first aid courses are either Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) or First Aid at Work (FAW)
Emergency First Aid at Work
Enables a first aider to respond to emergency injuries or illness in the workplace. It is a one day course, delivered over 6 hours and includes topics such as CPR, Using an AED, seizures, heart attacks, choking and minor injuries such as, burns, bites, bruises and bleeding. A paediatric version of this course is also available, which covers more specifically CPR and choking in infants and children. This course can be delivered on the same day as a standard EFAW, for those who work with both children and adults.
First aid at work (FAW)
Enables the first aider to appropriately deal with a broader range of first aid situations, including specific injuries and illnesses such as; head, neck, spinal injuries, fractures and dislocations, sprains and strains, diabetic emergencies, asthma, anaphylaxis, chest pain and angina. These topics are in addition to those covered in the EFAW course.
I work with babies and children. Which course do I need?
If you work in a setting with infants and children such as a nursery, primary school, child minding service, or you are providing wrap around care (breakfast/after school club), you will likely need a full 12 hour paediatric first aid course. This is a requirement set out by Ofsted and EYFS.
But don’t forget the adult members of your team. As guidance, in the same way EFAW does not specifically cover children and babies, paediatric courses, do not cover adult casualties. We would therefore recommend that you undertook one of our combined courses - Paediatric First Aid + EFAW. Complete day one of your 12 hour paediatric course online and on day two (in the classroom), complete the second day of your paediatric course and your EFAW course. Contact us to find out more.
My regulatory / governing body / insurance specifies a particular first aid course - can you help?
Of course. Here are some examples from some of the industries we support.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has established specific requirements for first aid training and both our EFAW and FAW courses will meet this requirement.
The British Wheel of Yoga -normally require an accredited Emergency First Aid at Work course. Get in touch to book your training with us
National Sporting Governing Bodies - as a minimum recommend an Emergency First Aid at Work course. Whilst this qualification is a great foundation for first aid, the core topics do not extend to head, neck, spinal injuries, sprains or strains or fractures and dislocations, We would recommend one of our more specialised courses such as; EFAW for Rugby Clubs, EFAW for Horse Riders and Equestrians, or to also complete a Sport First Aid Qualification to ensure you are fully prepared.
For Farming, Forestry and Arboriculture, we have specialist courses to include more high risk elements (chainsaw injuries, life threatening bleeding), including; EFAW-F for Forestry, FAW-F for Forestry, or EFAW (High Risk)
Can you help us choose the right course?
Anglia CPR we have a consultancy service for helping you choose the right First Aid course. All you need to do is contact us via our website or contact details and we will gladly talk you through the options we have, and which would be best given your role and situation. As well as this we want to make training fully accessible and affordable for all of your team, meaning that we will take into consideration all of your needs when we send a quote. We offer a range of courses and we will work hard with you in mind to ensure your training will be tailored to the specific situation. Our website has details of industries and roles that we can support so it is well worth taking a look around and finding out more.
As ever if you have any questions or would like to know more about what we offer then please don’t hesitate to contact us, we will be glad to help.