As workplaces start to welcome more staff and visitors, having fully trained staff who can deal with a medical emergency while staying covid safe is vitally important.
I’m often asked by the lovely people on my courses about providing first aid treatment during this pandemic.
We have been delivering First Aid training courses over the past 13 mths and include as standard up to date cross-infection ideas and measures that can be used quickly and simply in the workplace to keep first aiders safe while dealing with medical emergencies in any setting.
The HSE guidelines are still the same regarding First Aid requirements. All workplaces and school MUST have in place.
Complete your own Risk Assessment by following the link below to identify how many first aiders your setting should have on-site at all times;
As we, hopefully, are heading out of the other side of this pandemic business, schools, organisations, and those self-employed have a legal duty to ensure they can assist quickly if a medical emergency was to occur in the workplace
This guidance will help employers ensure first aiders are confident that they can help someone injured or ill at work during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Employers and their first aiders should read the guidance on giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) from the Resuscitation Council UK.
Emergency service professionals, such as NHS ambulance workers, will receive advice from their employer about this.
HSE has guidance on First aid cover and qualifications.
As an employer, when reviewing your risk assessment to include working during the pandemic, consider refreshing your first aid at work needs assessment.
Ask your first aiders if there are any factors that should be taken into account as part of your risk assessment. These factors could include vulnerable workers with first aid responsibilities.
You should discuss the risk assessment with your first aiders so they are confident about providing the right assistance.
This includes knowing what equipment they can use to minimise the risk of infection transmission, as explained below.
Although the UK Government has now removed social distancing in most workplace situations, first aiders should still consider the precautions set out in this guidance to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Try to assist at a safe distance from the casualty as much as you can. Minimise the time you share a breathing zone.
Although treating the casualty properly should be your first concern, you can tell them to do things for you if they are capable.
Remember the 3P model– preserve life, prevent worsening, promote recovery.
Call 999 immediately –tell the call handler if the patient has any COVID-19 symptoms.
Ask for help. If a portable defibrillator is available, ask for it.
Before starting CPR, use a cloth or towel to cover the patient's mouth and nose. This should minimise the risk of transmission while still permitting breathing to restart following successful resuscitation.
If available, you should use:
Only deliver CPR by chest compressions and use a defibrillator (if available) – don't do rescue breaths. For CPR in paediatric settings see guidance from the Resuscitation Council UK.
If you suspect a serious illness or injury, call 999 immediately – tell the call handler if the patient has any COVID-19 symptoms.
If you’re giving first aid to someone, you should use the recommended equipment listed above if it is available.
You should minimise the time you share a breathing zone with the casualty and direct them to do things for you where possible.
Make sure you discard disposable items safely and clean reusable ones thoroughly.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser as soon as possible.
If first aid cover for your business is reduced because of COVID-19 or you can't get the first aid training you need, there are some things you can do to comply with the law.
If fewer people are coming into your workplace it may still be safe to operate with reduced first aid cover. You could also stop higher-risk activities.
You could share first aiders with another business but make sure they have the knowledge, experience and availability to cover the first aid needs of your own business.
Shared first aiders must:
Whoever provides the temporary cover must make sure they do not adversely affect their own first aid cover.
If first aiders are unable to get annual face-to-face refresher training during the pandemic, we support the use of online refresher training to keep skills up to date.
We still strongly recommend that the practical elements of FAW, EFAW and requalification courses are delivered face to face. This means that the competency of the student canbe properly assessed.
Source HSE.org26.7.21 Author Louise Vickers (CertEd, D32,22 V1)
You’re in Safe hands with our legally accredited training courses
Winter lockdown
I’m very much a people person and love listening, meeting and chatting to people in person, which is why I love teaching and delivering training as I love nothing more than seeing others learn new skills, develop in confidence and achieve a qualification that will benefit their job role or just give them the confidence to use the skills they have gained.
Since March 2020
Many business/sectors have moved there services/products online purely to survive. I was one of those business who considered moving my training courses online and was asked a lot as to why I didn’t deliver training online.
My answer was simple.
For some sectors online training courses are absolutely the way forward as they save time and can be a cost-effective way for businesses to ensure compliance is keep up to date.
My businesses ethos is on providing quality,legally accredited training courses as standard. Therefore until online First Aid training was recognised as legally accredited, companies, schools and individuals are wasting their money and time in completing online learning that is not legally accredited for their industry.
I’m NOW so excited in launching our legally accredited Blended learning First Aid at Work qualifications.
These courses are legally accredited and have an outstanding online learning package that reduces the face-to-face classroom teaching so instead of attending a 3-day First Aid at Work course this has now been cut to attending a 2 day face to face workshop.
Instead of attending a 2-day First Aid at Work requalification course you can learn via our online platform and attending a 1 day workshop to gain the practical skills you require:
I’m a strong believer that everyone learns in different way which is why my training courses reflect all learning styles. This online package does that too.
How we like to learn
We all have our own unique learning style.
Some people like to sit a read books to learn.
Some people like to learn with others via group tasks and discussions.
Some people like to learn via doing ( i.e practical)activities.
No matter what training course you attend the difference between outstanding and "ticking boxes" in training is huge.
Training that is value for money and outstanding offers everyone who attends the same chances to gain new skills and knowledge
Why blended learning:
· Blended learning embeds all of the above. It also enables skills to be practices and gained online and in person.
Blended Learning give business, schools and individuals
· The peace of mind that you're gaining legally accredited qualifications.
· We know your time is precious- Blended learning enables you to gain theory knowledge in your own time which reduces the time spent in the classroom.
· These courses are cheaper per person and in-house.
Read More about our First Aid at Work blended learning courses
Coming soon
Our legally accredited Ofsted compliant blended learning paediatric first aid training.
Look out for further information.
Covid secure
We all need to feel safe in any environment to be confident in the job we do and to grow as professionals.
For me, COVID 19 has reinforced the good practice procedures I have adhered to as standard. Ensuring all who attend our course feel safe.
Here at Willhan Training we take our cross-infection duties extremely seriously. See our covid secure policy.
Re-opening after lockdown:
Business, leisure centres gyms and many more businesses will reopen and will people just wanting to get out again.
First Aiders & Paediatric First Aiders are a legal requirement and will be needed after lockdown, being training now in readiness for re-opening will prevent having to release staff, loose wages and time away from your job role when lockdown is eased.
The latest guidance for first aid provision in schools and the workplace
The HSE and DfE have not relaxed their rules on maintaining adequate first aid provision in the workplace and within schools and early year settings.
Therefore, it is important that business,including schools and early years nursery’s, ensure they have the correct and relevant first aid provision available within their setting to ensure they can provide assistance in a medical emergency.
Re-opening after lockdown:
First Aiders & Paediatric First Aiders area legal requirement and will be needed after lockdown, being trained now in readiness for re-opening will prevent having to release staff, loose wages and time away from your job role when a lockdown is eased.
More than two million children under the age of 15 experience accidents in and around the home every year and are taken to hospital. Many more are treated by GPs and by parents and carers.
On average 62 children under the age of five died as a result of an accident and over 76.000 under the age of 14 are admitted for treatment, of which over 40% are under 5 years of age. Those most at risk from a home accident are the 0-4 years age group.
Falls account for the majority of non-fatal accidents while the highest numbers of deaths are due to fire. Most of these accidents are preventable through increased awareness, education and improvements in the home environment and greater product safety.
The most severe injuries are associated with heat-related accidents and falls from a height. Older children are more likely to sustain fractures than younger counterparts. Younger children have a higher percentage of burns and scalds as well as poisoning and ingestion accidents.
Most accidents happen:
Children can swallow, inhale, or choke on items such as small toys, peanuts, and marbles.
Babies and small children are most at risk from choking because they examine things around them by putting them in their mouths.
Would you know what to do if your child had a medical emergency at home? Most parents have little or no first aid knowledge, or the knowledge they have is out of date. Education is key to the safety of all of us.
Knowing:
These can all help ensure our home environments are safe for children to live in.
Prevention is better than cure, which is why at Willhan training we have developed a “bespoke “ parent and grandparent First Aid workshop for any parent/ grandparent to attend.
The feedback from our parents and grandparents who have attended has been amazing.
As a parent myself I have designed these 3 hour sessions with parents in mind and cover topics like meningitis, sepsis, choking and more to give you a basic knowledge of the signs & symptoms of certain conditions but also practical skills to use if a child in your care suffers a medical emergency in your home.
“very informative, friendly environment, feel more confident now with hands-on experience”
“Great delivery really enjoyed & informative”.
“Covered common worries we had as parents the practical’s help remember” really enjoyed”
“Enjoyed the part about choking, really good course. The tutor encouraged questions which was good.”
“Enjoyed all of it. Especially the choking information and practical. Lots of useful information included”.
Sources RSPCC .uk Willhan Training. HSE .org. Copyright reserved April 2020
By law, all businesses are required to have at least one fully qualified first aider on-site at all times. All business must carry out their own full due diligence to ensure all staff are receiving legally compliant training.
To comply with your legal duties under the Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 your choice must be appropriate & adequate based on a needs assessment & appropriate due diligence being conducted.
Those who are self-employed should also have some formal first aid training.
If your workplace has more significant health and safety risks, for example, you use machinery or hazardous materials then you are more likely to need a trained first-aider. You must provide all your employees with details of the first-aid arrangements.
Your liability insurance may be affected if you have no first aid provision in place or if have attended a course that is not legally accredited.
You may know from my previous blog. “You learn something new every day.”
Training is key in all industries.
If you are responsible for developing and maintaining a business’s food safety management procedures, you must have had suitable training on food safety and hygiene to do this. Skills can be learned by:
You must make sure that any member of staff who handles food is trained in food hygiene and safety, including allergens, before they start work.
All food businesses must put in place food safety management procedures based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).
HACCP is a system that helps you identify potential food hazards and introduce procedures to make sure those hazards are removed or reduced to an acceptable level.
These procedures will help you produce and sell food that is safe to eat, providing you:
All business owners have a legal requirement to provide training that is fit for purpose and relevant for the job being undertaken.
Regulations state that all food handlers must receive the appropriate training in food safety practices relevant to their duties. However, having a good understanding of food safety practices is not only a legal requirement, it is also essential in protecting the health of both consumers and food handlers.
Food safety, in fact, most training can be sourced either online or via a training centre providing classroom training. Everyone learners in different ways.
Online, individual training will suit some people however, for those practical and visual leaners who like discussions and like to ask questions a classroom-based training course will be of more benefit.
You will gain far more from learning with colleagues and other professionals from outside your business and sharing good practice ideas in a classroom setting that can be implemented within your food business.
Some free online short courses can be beneficial, especially if it’s a refresh of certain areas and does not involve practical assessment.
The Food Standards Agency offer some excellent online training courses around allergens with some useful information on how to implement these guidelines.
However, caution should be applied when choosing online free training instead of face-face training to ensure you and your colleagues get the training and skills that they can remember and use way after the course has finished. It is vital that any course you are investing your time into is legally accredited and complies to food safety guidelines for training or you will have wasted you precious time.
Business owners MUST ensure continual refresher training to ensure all food handlers keep refreshed with current guidelines and skills.
It is also vital that those new to a job or industry have training in line with their job role.
We have been working with the Birmingham NHS community trust to provide all food handlers with a legally accredited qualification at level 2 in food safety.
It is vital that everyone is trained to an adequate level to ensure the public & everyone in the workplace is kept safe.
If ever there was a medical emergency at work, would anyone be able to provide the correct first aid and handle an emergency situation calmly and confidently? It is imperative your team has the correct legal number of first aiders.
The Health & Safety Executive states that:
It is important to remember that accidents and illness can happen at any time. Provision for first aid needs must be available at all times while people are at work.
Some small workplaces with low-level hazards may need only the minimum provision for first aid. But there are circumstances and factors that will mean you need greater provision. You, as an employer, are well placed to decide the provision you need.
What is a first-aider?
A first-aider is someone who has done training appropriate to the level identified in the needs assessment. This may be: first aid at work (FAW); or emergency first aid at work (EFAW); or some other first-aid training appropriate to the particular circumstances of your workplace.
So what does this mean in practical terms? What does your business need to do?
The main points you need to consider are:
First Aider risk assessment
This takes minutes to complete and will give you an accurate recommendation of the number of staff needing training and to what level. Click here to complete your risk assessment
Our mission:
Is to deliver accredited training and qualifications at affordable prices. We can provide these within your workplace at times to suit your needs.
We are passionate about the quality of our teaching and providing a professional, yet friendly and relaxed learning environment in which people succeed.
Our training and qualifications are not just about ticking boxes, but giving people confidence in their new-found skills so they can be used long after the course has finished.
We understand that time and money are valuable resources and you’ll want to make sure that any investment on training and qualifications is worth it.
We pride ourselves in working with business in delivering in-house training courses at times to suit you at your premises.
We’re also so proud of our 100% record of amazing feedback from the businesses and delegates we have worked with.
Sources: HSE.org
Call us to discuss delivering any of our training courses at your premises at times to suit you, or book onto one of our courses.
The safety of ALL children should always be at the centre of any decisions made regarding your school’s training needs.
In addition to your legal responsibilities regarding staff training, your liability insurance could become void if the correct training does not comply legally and ensures ALL staff have the skills to act competently in any medical emergency, no matter how many years you may have used the same company/provider or how cheap the training is, this argument WILL NOT stand up against the due diligence all school headteachers should do when making this choice.
How do you know you are choosing a legally accredited training centre to deliver your first aid training?
What should you be looking for on the certificate to ensure it is legally compliant?
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE YOUR CERTIFICATE IS ISSUED BY A VERIFIABLE TRAINING CENTRE.
QA Level 3 Combined First Aid at Work & Paediatric First Aid qualification.
Willhan Training is one of the first training centres to deliver this to school teams with some amazing feedback.
We are looking forward to working in partnership with you to ensure your staff training meets all the legal requirements and more.
Whether it’s an individual staff booking or a conversation about the right in-house training course. We are here, ready to listen, and will ensure you get the quality training your team deserves.
Don’t wait for a child to suffer a medical emergency in your school or nursery before you ensure your team's First Aid training is legally accredited & fit for purpose! School headteachers & owners of early years nurseries are legally responsible for...
