Mike,

You need to be aware in this brave new deregulated world, the HSE no longer have control over course content so if the supplier says it is a requirement for their course and they are accredited by an external verifier, then it is.

Call me cynical if you wish.

Yes this is correct. 

These changes were driven by the 2015 update of the UK Resus Council Guidlines. Trainers have until the 31st of December to include defibrillation within the FAW and EFAW syllabus of the courses they deliver.

There is no requirments to retrain your current first aiders. Hope this helps.

John

(First Aid/Defibrillation instructor/assessor)

Originally Posted by: johnwatt

Sorry I meant to add (I wish there was and edit button!)

There is. Take another look at your posts

Originally Posted by: johnwatt

Sorry I meant to add (I wish there was and edit button!)

Although the HSE don't approve courses and training providers they do still advise on the First Aid at Work Syllabus. It was the HSE's First Aid Bulletin (below) that specified the dates on the implementaition of these changes. 

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKHSE/bulletins/14e1e10

That's useful John, thank you for alerting me.

Interesting posting.

Does this mean I am going to have a put a defib at each of my 50 plus locations now that the any new first aider will be trained in their use?

I have about 30 staff going on a course early 2017

Some of my sites only have 8 staff.

Geoff

Originally Posted by: Andrew Bober

What is the UK Resus Council Guidlines for refreshing on AED training? It had stood that you'd deliver this each year, whereas if include in EFAW and FAW then it would be every 3yrs, or are we back to risk assessment?

The UK Resus Council says this on training:

"It is important that resuscitation skills are refreshed regularly, particularly by those who have a duty to respond in an emergency. The principle is that skills should be maintained at an effective level at all times. Individual employers and organisations should make arrangements for retraining to be available, but the frequency of this refresher training will depend on the individual. For guidance, skills should be refreshed at least once a year, but preferably more often."

It is the HSE that specifies the frequencies for recertification of first aiders in the workplace. Currently (and has been for as long as I can remeber) it is set at 3 years. This inludes FAW, EFAW and Defibrillation. There is guidance that annual refresher training would be benneficial but this is not a requirement.

L74 The HSE's ACOP for First Air at Work Regulations states:

"Certificate validity, requalification and refresher training [74] All first-aid training certificates, whether FAW, EFAW or some other appropriate training, are valid for three years. Employers need to arrange retraining before certificates expire. "

There is no requirment to pace a defib at all or any of your sites. The resus protocol as of the current (2015 resus guidlines) require you to ask for a defib if one is available. This training is to ensure that the first aiders know how to use it if it is. Remeber the defib may not be in your workplace. You will now find them in many public places. 

Edited by user 24 November 2016 13:39:10(UTC)  | Reason: Citation

I was of the understanding that AED's were being included due to the more common availability of the devices. As well as Government pressure to up-skill first aiders in these and tourniquets due to increased liklihood of major terrorist events and the countries reponse to them, rather than laws to make them compulsory.

Originally Posted by: RichardPerry1066

This sounds suspiciously like the HSE is trying to have their cake and eat it. They don't any longer certify courses so what are they doing specifying syllabuses (syllabi??) None of their business any more. 

If an employer doesnt have an AED on site then why would you include use of an AED in a training course. And unless you have a substantial number of people at a lcoation then why provide an AED when the money might well be better spent combatting another risk.

And even if you do provide an AED I'd expect it to be so foolproof that even a fool could use it. Make sure all the staff are confident ot use it rather than relying on your relatively few First Aiders.

I really don't see the issue here. As of 2013 the HSE no longer approves first aid training and qualifications. This means that businesses now have more flexibility in how they manage their provision of first aid in the workplace. The HSE is still the regulator and responsible for enforcing compliance with 'Health & Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, so what is the problem with them setting the learning sylabus for workplace first aiders?

The training is included as it is advised by the UK Resus Council, the body that sets the resucitation protocol within the UK, in and out of hospital. By adding this element to the existing courses it provides consistency in training. Why would you not want to learn it? These skills may very well save somebodies life in or out of the workplace. 

Businesses are not being told that they must have defibrillators available, this requirment comes down to your own first aid needs risk assessment. It's your choice.

AED's are foolproof and even a lay person with no knowledge should be able to use it. However, evidence suggests that with minimal training you can use it far more efficiently and quickly. I demonstrate this when teaching defibrillation. Before demonstrating use of an AED i run a scenario where the learners have to use it without having done so before. At the end of the course I run the same scenario again; on average a shock is delivered 2 minutes quicker. 

Looking at the current statistics we can see that from the moment you hit the floor in caridac arrest, you have around an 85% chance of restarting the heart if an AED is applied immediately, this reduces by 10% each minute that passes. Having the AED user trained in its use, per the above scenario, resulted in a 20% increased chance of survival. If that doesn't convince you then look at it this way: AEDs, as work equipment, are covered by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), and as such this places duties on employers in respect of employee training and the provision of information and instructions in the use of such equipment!