First Aid FAQ

Approvals and requirements

  • Is there such a thing as “Ofsted Approved” for the Child Carers course?
    • No, OFSTED does not ratify either Trainers or Companies. Provided that the syllabus conforms to the EYFS syllabus and takes 12 contact hours then ANYONE can deliver the course. You need to satisfy yourself that the Trainer or Training Company delivers the course that you need and is sufficiently qualified to do so.
  • What about HSE Approved courses?
    • In 2013, the HSE stopped approving courses and Providers. The onus is now on you, the organisation to ensure that you have adequate First Aid facilities and personnel. It (the HSE) does provide a suggested list of questions that you should ask an organisation delivering First Aid. Here are 4 Minutes’ answers
  • What Provisions do I need to make? What is the right First Aid Kit for me / my Organisation?
  • Ofsted guide to registering as a child carer. Annexe A contains First Aid Training requirements. Click here

Pre-course information

  • General information
    • Minimum age is 16 for the First Aid at Work group of courses and for the Child Carer courses.
    • The Family Courses can take anyone of any age and we will make it age-appropriate, however please let us know in advance if there will be anyone under 16 actively taking part.
    • You will need some form of ID for the certified course – Driving Licence, passport, Credit card etc. Please bring this with you on the day.
    • Refreshments (tea, coffee, squash) are normally provided for Scheduled courses, but not lunch. For bespoke courses at your location we would expect you to cater.
  • What should I wear?
    • Loose fitting, comfortable clothes. You will be sitting at a desk for the theory. You will be lying on the floor being turned into the recovery position for some practicals, or you may be the first aider treating a casualty so wear something appropriate. Ladies, please dress modestly. Low cut tops and short skirts will not be appropriate and tight clothing such as jeans may make it harder to undertake some of the exercises such as the Recovery Position. Heels are acceptable but you may wish to remove them during the practicals.
  • Mobile ‘phones, food, drink? etc.
    • No food and drink to be consumed during the course. It is distracting to the rest of the class. Mobile ‘phones – either turn off or put on mute. There will be ‘comfort’ breaks as appropriate for you to do as you wish.
  • I have an issue that you should be aware of. (e.g. allergy, epilepsy, waiting for a ‘phone call concerning something serious, e.g. a relative’s hospital visit)
    • Please make the Trainer aware prior to the class commencing. If you wish to discuss it before booking, please call us directly in confidence on 01628 56 99 22
  • Attendance
    • Please be prompt. The courses are timed to deliver the requisite training. If you are late, you will miss out on some training and it is also inconsiderate and distracting to the rest of the class and the Trainer. If you know that you are going to be late or need to leave early, please discuss it with us in advance or with the Trainer prior to the class.
  • Can I bring my children along
    • Only to the “Family First Aid“,  “Coffee and CPR” or your own private courses. There, they are more than welcome. All we ask is:
      • They are your responsibility. We are not a creche
      • Please let us know numbers and ages in advance to make sure that there is enough room.
      • If they become distracting / noisy / need feeding or changing, please take some Time Out with them outside the room in consideration of the other attendees.
      • If they are old enough, encourage them to join in. You never know when it may come in handy!
  • What Personal information do you hold?
  • What are your payment Terms?
    • Cleared payment must be made prior to the start of the course. This can be made by Bank Transfer, cheque or Credit / Debit card. Credit / Debit Card Payments are made via PayPal. You do not need a PayPal Account to pay, although you do need an email address.

General First Aid Questions

  • I’ve seen the Vinnie Jones ‘Hard and Fast’ video. Why are you teaching us to breathe for the casualty, whereas Vinnie does not?
    • Studies have found that lay people attempting resuscitation are understandably sqUeamish about mouth to mouth on strangers and that they often choose to do nothing at all. By teaching lay members of the public to just do chest compressions, this is better than doing nothing at all. Obviously full CPR is the ideal basic treatment for a cardiac arrest victim but the Ambulance Service would prefer something rather than nothing. If we teach you full CPR, then you have the choice. You have seen the video, haven’t you? http://youtu.be/ILxjxfB4zNk
  • If I do something wrong, can I get sued
    • Although often quoted, in the UK there is no such thing as the “Good Samaritan Act” protecting you. However, provided that you stick to what you have been trained in, there is no reason why a Court would uphold a complaint against you. As far as we are aware, none have succeeded and, if one were to do so, you can imagine what effect this would have on lay people coming forward to treat a casualty in the future. Note that there is a difference between you stopping to help someone in the street as a Lay person and you treating someone within a work environment as a recognised, qualified First Aider, where you might be presumed to have the appropriate skills. You should make sure that you are trained (and refreshed) to your satisfaction and also your company should also ensure that it has an appropriate level of first aid cover in place at all times. If these are all in place, then the risk of running into trouble should be low.
  • Why 4 Minutes?
    • Once your heart stops beating – for whatever reason – your body starts to use up its remaining Oxygen. As the heart is not pumping oxygen-carrying blood around your body, eventually these levels get dangerously low and body organs will start to deteriorate, then fail. Your brain needs about a quarter of this oxygen, for instance. It depends upon your fitness levels, temperature and myriad other reasons, but after about 4 minutes irreversible brain damage will occur. On the other hand, the immediate things that you can do to someone whose heart has failed can be taught in 4 minutes – and applied in seconds – as proven when 999 call takers talk someone through CPR over the ‘phone whilst the ambulance crew are travelling. It’s really that simple to save someone’s life. Obviously this is extreme and to be a confident and competent First Aider there is more to it than a 4 minute ‘make or break’ tutorial and many other skills need to be learnt, hence our First Aid courses. Hence why 4 Minutes is in favour of First Aid being taught in schools. The time that it takes out of the curriculum is minuscule but the results can be life changing.

Acronyms

EYFS Early Years Foundation Stage. Sets standards for childcare
HSE Health and Safety Executive – oversees and sets standards for Health and Safety within the workplace.
DCSF The Department for Children Schools and Families

The department for children, schools and families [sic] (DCSF) was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education. The DCSF was replaced by the Department for Education after the change of government following the General Election 2010. (Source: Wikipedia)

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills

Ofsted is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools In England