HSE update – First aid during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Please see the latest Guidance from the HSE on First aid requirements in non-healthcare settings during the pandemic, as well as first aid cover and qualifications at this time

https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/first-aid-and-medicals/first-aid-certificate-coronavirus.htm

 

HSE Update First Aid Expiry Dates – 25th September 2020

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have today announced an update to first aid qualification expiry dates for those who have been affected by COVID-19 and have been unable to requalify.

HSE link here:

https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/first-aid-and-medicals/first-aid-certificate-coronavirus.htm#qualifications

In summary:

FAW & EFAW Certificates that expired during the period 16th March 2020 to 30th April 2020  – must have completed a requalification course by 31st October 2020.

FAW & EFAW Certificates that expired during the period 1st May 2020 to 30th September 2020 must have completed a requalification course within 6 months of the expiry date.

FAW & EFAW Certificates that expire from 1st October 2020 must have completed a requalification course by 31st March 2021.

 

The Department of Further Education (DFE) Guidance on Paediatric First Aid (PFA) and Emergency Paediatric First Aid (EPFA) Certificates.

  • The extension of PFAW and EPFA Certificates remains at 25 November 2020. (This indicates that the requalification course MUST BE completed by 25 November 2020).

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) First Aid Certificate Extensions – Covid-19 Update

The HSE have stated the following with regards to the deadline for this extension:

Requalification training in England

The first aid training industry in England is confident that enough courses will now be available for all required requalification training to take place. HSE has therefore agreed a final deadline for requalification for these qualifications of 30 September 2020.

Requalification training in Scotland and Wales

It is accepted that training capacity in Scotland and Wales, and for some parts of the emergency services across Great Britain, might take longer to build. The deadline for completing requalification training in Scotland and Wales (and in relevant GB emergency services), will therefore be reviewed by HSE over the coming months. Employers or certificate holders should still try to arrange requalification training at the earliest opportunity.

HSE update here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/first-aid-and-medicals/first-aid-certificate-coronavirus.htm

Please ensure that all affected persons are informed of this deadline and that requalification training is arranged where required before the deadline.

Covid-19 Updated guidance on Paediatric First Aid

The Department for Education has updated its guidance regarding the expiry of Paediatric First Aid certificates and the requirement for Early Years Providers to have trained First Aiders onsite. The Department for Education has stated:

Paediatric First Aid expiry dates;

If Paediatric First Aid certificate requalification training is prevented for reasons associated directly with coronavirus (COVID-19), or by complying with related government advice, the validity of current certificates can be extended to 25 November 2020 at the latest. This applies to certificates which expired on or after 16 March 2020.

If asked to do so, providers should be able to explain why the first aider hasn’t been able to requalify and demonstrate what steps have been taken to access the training. Employers or certificate holders must do their best to arrange requalification training at the earliest opportunity.

Requirements of trained First Aid personnel;

The requirements in the EYFS on PFA certification have been modified and the EYFS: coronavirus disapplication’s guidance has been published setting out what this means.

The existing requirement remains in place where children aged 0 to 24 months are on site. Paragraph 3.25 and Annex A of the statutory framework for the EYFS set out the requirements, including that ‘at least one person who has a current PFA certificate must be on the premises and available at all times when children are present, and must accompany children on outings.’ The existing requirements also remain unchanged for childminders because they are already required to have full PFA certification.

The requirement is modified where children aged 2 to 5 are on site (with no children aged below 24 months) to a best endeavours duty to have someone with a full PFA certificate on site. If all steps set out in the guidance have been exhausted and settings cannot meet the PFA requirement, they must carry out a written risk assessment and ensure that someone with a current First Aid at Work or emergency PFA certificate is on site at all times. New entrants do not need to have completed a full PFA course within their first 3 months in order to be counted in staff to child ratios.

Further information can be found in the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2/early-years-foundation-stage-coronavirus-disapplications#early-years-foundation-stage-section-3

Please note this guidance and extension is only for the following qualifications:

Emergency Paediatric First Aid

Paediatric First Aid

All other First Aid qualifications, such as EFAW and FAW, remain with an extension until the 30th September 2020 only and will expire on the 1st October in England. For Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland we are still awaiting further updates from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as they have this under review.

If you have any questions or need any additional information, then please do not hesitate to contact Aspire Training Services.

 

HSE update on First aid qualifications during covid-19

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have announced that all Learners who expired on or after the 16th March 2020 will have their certificate expiry date extended until the 30th September 2020 to aid employers in meeting their legal responsibilities during this time.

The HSE expect all persons in England to be requalified by the 30th September and any Learner who has not achieved this will expire on the 1st October.

The HSE understands that this deadline may be difficult to achieve for Learners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland due to their extended lockdown measures and will review this over the coming weeks for these nations.

The HSE will keep this situation under close review over the coming months and will issue further statements as necessary.

Full HSE announcement here 

Mental Health Awareness Week 18th -24th May 2020

Mental health problems can affect anyone, at any time. Mental health is everyone’s business.

Looking after ourselves has never been more important than right now. The ‘new normal’ has changed the way we live, the way we work. We’re missing family, friends and colleagues. We’re using words like ‘Covid-19’, ‘lockdown’ and ‘social distancing’ at a time when we all need comfort the most.

The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 is about kindness and looking out for each other. There is support for people who are finding life a struggle and who need a helping hand. No one should suffer in silence.

Coronavirus is affecting mental health in general – causing disruption, uncertainty and anxiety. It is also:

  • Adding to specific triggers (e.g. food, hygiene)
  • Undermining existing coping strategies
  • Accentuating existing physical health problems
  • Causing social deprivation and acute financial pressure
  • Creating difficulties accessing support
  • Putting people at risk of violence and abuse

The Mental Health Foundation hosts Mental Health Awareness Week. More information here on Mental Health Awareness Week

Look after your Mental Health and Wellbeing while working at home

During the COVID-19 Crisis, it is important to look after your Mental Health and Wellbeing while staying at home. Stress affects us all at different times and in different ways. It can cause people to feel physically unwell, can cause Mental Health and Wellbeing problems and can make existing problems worse.

The HSE’s stress website has plenty of advice, while their downloadable stress talking toolkit has ideas which you can adapt to suit your current working arrangements.

Resuscitation Council Guidance for First Aiders during the COVID-19 Crisis

The latest guidance from the Resuscitation Council for First Aiders who may find themselves in a position where they must provide CPR, where they suspect that the casualty has COVID-19. It is still crucial that the First Aider acts in this situation and the guidance below should be followed.

The full Resuscitation Council guidance can be found here, but extracts have been taken as below.

Adult CPR guidance

Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2015 state “If you are untrained or unable to do rescue breaths, give chest compression-only CPR (i.e. continuous compressions at a rate of at least 100 – 120 min)”.

Because of the heightened awareness of the possibility that the victim may have COVID-19, Resuscitation Council UK offers this advice:

Recognise cardiac arrest by looking for the absence of signs of life and the absence of normal breathing. Do not listen or feel for breathing by placing your ear and cheek close to the patient’s mouth. If you are in any doubt about confirming cardiac arrest, the default position is to start chest compressions until help arrives.

Make sure an ambulance is on its way. If COVID 19 is suspected, tell them when you call 999. If there is a perceived risk of infection, rescuers should place a cloth/towel over the victim’s mouth and nose and attempt compression only CPR and early defibrillation until the ambulance (or advanced care team) arrives. Put hands together in the middle of the chest and push hard and fast.

Early use of a Defibrillator significantly increases the person’s chances of survival and does not increase risk of infection.

If the rescuer has access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), e.g. FFP3 Face Mask, Disposable Gloves, Eye protection – these should be worn.

After performing compression-only CPR, all rescuers should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water; alcohol-based hand gel is a convenient alternative. They should also seek advice from the NHS 111 coronavirus advice service or medical adviser.

Paediatric guidance

We are aware that paediatric cardiac arrest is unlikely to be caused by a cardiac problem and is more likely to be a respiratory one, making ventilations crucial to the child’s chances of survival. However, for those not trained in paediatric resuscitation, the most important thing is to act quickly to ensure the child gets the treatment they need in the critical situation.

For out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the importance of calling an ambulance and taking immediate action cannot be stressed highly enough. If a child is not breathing normally and no actions are taken, their heart will stop and full cardiac arrest will occur. Therefore, if there is any doubt about what to do, this statement should be used.

It is likely that the child/infant having an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest will be known to you. We accept that doing rescue breaths will increase the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus, either to the rescuer or the child/infant. However, this risk is small compared to the risk of taking no action as this will result in certain cardiac arrest and the death of the child.

Covid-19 Update on First Aid training from the HSE

The Health and Safety Executive have today announced that they will be offering a three-month extension to the validity of the following qualifications if the learner or Trainer/Assessor is unable to requalify because of the COVID-19 Crisis:

  • First Aid at Work
  • Emergency First Aid at Work
  • Paediatric First Aid
  • Emergency Paediatric First Aid

This means that a Trainer/Assessor can continue delivering regulated qualifications in first aid for up to three months past the expiry of their current FAW or Paediatric certificate. This is also the case for learners who may be covering first aid within a workplace holding any of the qualifications stated above.

The HSE will keep this situation under close review over the coming months and will issue further statements, as necessary.

Please see below for the full HSE statement:

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware that people holding Offshore Medic (OM), Offshore First Aid (OFA), First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) certificates nearing expiry date, might experience disruption to access to requalification training as a result of events or circumstances generated by the coronavirus pandemic.

If, however requalification training is prevented for reasons associated directly with coronavirus or by complying with related government advice, it is reasonable and practical to extend the validity of current certificates by up to 3 months. Anyone taking advantage of this extension should be able to clearly describe their reasons for delaying requalification training and demonstrate steps they have taken to undertake the training, if required.

This guidance comes into effect for certificates expiring on or after 16th March 2020. HSE will review this matter over the coming months and will issue further statements, as necessary.

The Department for Education supports the HSE statement regarding the extension of first aid certificates during coronavirus emergency and that it can be applied to paediatric first aid certificates held by staff in early years provision.