From 6th April 2013, the HSE are no longer responsible for the approval of First Aid Training and Training Providers. So what does this mean for you:
- External assessors are no longer explicitly required for the 3 day First Aid at Work (FAW) course although the training provider must provide evidence of internal quality assurance and monitoring.
- The 1 day Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) course is to be a Level 2 (Level 5 in Scotland) course.
- The 3 day FAW course is to be a Level 3 (Level 6 in Scotland) course.
- The syllabus will mostly remain the same, however early draft documents suggest that the secondary survey (top to toe) is to be removed from the 1 day EFAW course. Hot and cold conditions (hypothermia, heat exhaustion and heat stroke) are to be removed from the 3 day FAW.
- The hours in the classroom will remain the same (meaning more teaching time on the 3 day course as there is no formal assessment time).
- Current qualifications will still run ‘their time’ i.e. if you hold an existing EFAW/FAW certificate it will expire 3 years from the completion date. You will not have to redo the qualification on 6th April 2013 (unless it expires on that date).
- You can ‘top up’ from the 1 day EFAW course to the full 3 day FAW by completing days 2 and 3 if completed within 28 days.
- It now becomes the responsibility of the customer of the training provider to check that they are receiving an appropriate course i.e. the provider has the relevant qualifications and experience.