OFQUAL Accredited First Aid Qualifications

As most health and safety managers will be aware, as of 1st October 2013, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) removed all approval and accreditation for First Aid at Work training. Prior to this it was common to see workplace courses advertised as ‘HSE approved’.  This approval offered organisations a degree of insight into training quality when making their choices. So where does this decision leave you when it comes to assessing the suitability of training for your staff?

It remains a legal requirement for trained first aiders to be available in the workplace, and the HSE continues to determine the syllabus for workplace courses. In addition, the HSE provides guidance on the number of first aiders required and the depth of training they should receive. However, the burden of responsibility in assessing and determining course suitability now rests with you. You must show that due diligence (reasonable investigation) has been carried out for the selection of a training provider for your organisation.

For companies offering OFQUAL, SQA or Welsh Government accredited training, such as Kays Medical, no due diligence is required. The HSE accepts this training to be nationally accredited and a regulated qualification. To health and safety managers and their employers, this offers peace of mind in knowing a course is of suitable quality, reduced burden of responsibility in assessing training providers and reduced costs associated with administration of training for their organisation.

Organisations choosing providers who do not have one of these nationally recognised accreditations must undertake full due diligence. Such providers may have quality assurance systems but offer unregulated qualifications. In order to demonstrate due diligence in the selection of a provider, you may need to check the provider’s qualifications, that they have a documented quality assurance plan, they have the correct certification and that the syllabus is appropriate and follows current guidelines along with a number of other potential elements.

So in answer to the question, could you benefit from OFQUAL Accredited First Aid Qualifications? Yes, you probably could. In the absence of HSE course approval OFQUAL approval is the next best thing in providing a measure of nationally recognised course quality. And if nothing else it will save you time and money.

Kays Medical have been delivering workplace first aid and specialist training courses for over 30 years and in that time have trained over 100,000 individuals. We have undertaken open 3, 2 and 1 day workplace first aid courses at our Liverpool based training centre in addition to on-site group courses at company sites throughout the UK, including several national retail brands.

“We are amongst the first UK providers to be delivering OFQUAL Accredited First Aid Qualifications and we continue to set the bar in the content and delivery of our training. “

“Kays has always been an early adopter when it comes to advancing the quality of our training. OFQUAL qualification accreditation seemed an entirely logical step for us following cessation of HSE approval. We are delighted that many of our big customers have responded exceptionally to this announcement; demonstrating their on-going commitment to their staff and customer safety.” – Alan Scott, Training Manager – Kays Medical

In addition to our workplace group courses we also offer defibrillation, oxygen administration, sports first aid, chemical splashes, hydrofluoric acid treatment and a range of health and safety oriented courses such as manual handling.  Additionally we are at the forefront of body fluid and sharps disposal training, utilising the RESPONSE system of biohazard control. A number of our large clients also benefit from bespoke courses designed specifically around their needs.

We have experience of providing onsite training to organisations of all sizes in diverse markets so if you would like to benefit from our high quality OFQUAL Accredited First Aid Qualifications, or simply wish to talk over your training needs and receive a proposal then drop us a line at training@kaysmedical.com or telephone us on 0151 482 2830 and speak with our training department.  For more information on OFQUAL Accredited First Aid Qualifications take a look at our specialist training brochure online by visiting http://bit.ly/1k3wVkb