How often should you refresh first aid training?

How often you should refresh first aid training is a question we get asked a lot and it’s a good question to ask! After all, it’s important to be sure you’re up to date and confident in your life saving skills! This means you’ll be more effective at helping others and less likely to panic when faced with a first aid incident.

Qualifications in first aid are valid for three years, but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ‘strongly recommend’ that annual refreshers are completed. So the answer to the question in theory is every three years, but this is an absolute minimum.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/first-aid-training.htm 

If you’ve completed your training with Life Saving Training previously, then you should have a better chance than most of retaining your skills. This is mainly due to our high standard and style of training, which develops more confidence and longer lasting skills. However, if these skills aren’t used (and hopefully they won’t be on a regular basis!) you won’t be as effective as a First Aider.

It’s a personal choice for you and the people around you, whether that’s at home, at work or at a charity or organisation you support. Be honest and ask yourself how confident you and your team feel in dealing with a first aid emergency. If you’re wavering, you might want to get that refresher booked in. It’s much better to spend a few quid on a half day’s worth of training to have peace of mind.

If you have any questions, just give us a shout as we’re always happy to help!