Category Archives: First Aid

Press release: Two new qualifications for paediatric first aid

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Two new qualifications for paediatric first aid have been launched in response to recent changes to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) syllabus in England.

The introduction of the new qualifications from Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (HABC) comes after a Department for Education consultation in 2016 showed there was sector-wide support for newly qualified early years staff to hold a current paediatric first-aid qualification.

The two new qualifications from Highfield, which sit on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), are:

Among the key changes in both qualifications is the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), meaning a new requirement for training providers to have access to the appropriate equipment. Also, the PFA qualification includes among its changes a focus on fractures instead of dislocations, sprains and strains, while the EPFA qualification now covers minor injuries but not anaphylaxis (which remains in the PFA).

While the existing qualifications do meet the updated syllabus, the new qualifications align more closely with it. New staff will be given a three-month period upon beginning employment to complete either a paediatric first-aid or emergency paediatric first-aid qualification.

Training providers will have until 30 June 2017 before the old qualifications are withdrawn and are no longer available to register learners on.

Jason Sprenger, Highfield’s Chief Executive, said, ‘As a result of the government’s review we have introduced a completely new suite of qualifications that will give employers staff who are compliant with the new statutory framework requirements, while allowing early years’ providers to give parents confidence and reassurance’.Pa

For more information on the new qualifications, go to: http://www.highfieldabc.com/qualifications/compliance/firstaid2

A full summary of the changes between the old qualifications and the new ones is available here:

Paediatric PDF Booklet

You can also view the update video here:

A range of supporting materials is also available from: https://www.highfield.co.uk/products/sector/first-aid/paediatric-first-aid/

Alternatively, contact Highfield on 0845 2260350 or 01302 363277, or email info@highfieldabc.net

For regular updates, go to https://twitter.com/HighfieldABC and www.facebook.com/HighfieldABC

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  1. Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (‘HABC’) is one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations and winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2016, offering over 200 qualifications covering a wide variety of industries including retail, health and social care, rail, food safety, security, catering and hospitality, and logistics.

New guidance on AED training

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New requirements to ensure learners are assessed on the correct use of automated external defibrillators (AED) came into effect at the beginning of 2017.

Aimed at those delivering AED training as part of first aid at work or emergency first aid at work courses, the requirements will ensure learners are assessed on their ability to demonstrate how to place AED pads correctly and how to follow AED instructions.

Centres must also have at least 1 training AED available to allow for effective training and assessment, and learners must be assessed in groups that do not exceed a ratio of 4 learners per 1 AED. Adjustments to lesson plans are allowed as long as the 1:4 ratio is maintained and learners are not disadvantaged.

Likewise, centres running first-aid courses must ensure their tutors and assessors are sufficiently knowledgeable and competent in the use of an AED.

It is expected that that AED training will be delivered by centres as part of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.

The specifications, as well as the relevant assessment paperwork for each of the qualifications referenced above, is available here .

First Aid Qualification Update – Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Training

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In June, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced the requirement for all workplace first-aiders to be trained in the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) from 31 December 2016. This is as a result of a change to the guidelines of the Resuscitation Council UK , which now state that when managing a casualty in need of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a first-aider must request an AED .

To accommodate these changes and cover the use of an AED, Highfield will be amending the qualification specification and practical assessment pack for the following qualifications:

Centres running courses from 31 December 2016 will be required to assess learners in the use of an AED. However, this will be optional prior to this date.

We anticipate that the subject of using an AED will be covered in the CPR section of each qualification. Learners should be assessed on their ability to demonstrate the following skills:

  • place AED pads correctly
  • follow AED instructions

Additionally, please note, the following requirements must be met when delivering training on the use of an AED:

  • centres must have 1 training AED available for every 4 learners on a course. This does allow for adjustment to lesson plans so long as the ratio of 1:4 is maintained and centres ensure learners are not disadvantaged.
  • centres running first-aid courses must ensure their tutors and assessors are sufficiently knowledgeable and competent in the use of an AED

We shall keep you updated with any further updates we receive regarding these qualifications. In the meantime, if you require any further information, please contact your account manager.

Important Qualification Expiration Reminder

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Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance would like to remind all centres that the last date for new registrations for the HABC Level 2 Award in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillation (QCF) will be Thursday 30 June 2016 . HABC approved centres will have until 21 July 2016 to complete their programmes (unless special considerations are applied) and apply for learner certificates.

This qualification has been replaced by the HABC Level 2 Award in Basic Life Support and Safe Use of an Automated External Defibrillator (RQF) , which is supported by both the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Skills for Health. It has also been approved for delivery to pre-16 year olds.

This is a 1-credit qualification, typically delivered over a half-day course (minimum contact time of 4 hours) and contains the following unit:

  • Basic Life Support and Using an Automated External Defibrillator

Please note: while in-depth AED training is not currently a compulsory component of first aid at work and emergency first-aid courses, the HSE welcomes AED training being incorporated into them. This is a stance that HABC supports and we strongly encourage our centres to consider this moving forward. Further information on the HSE welcoming the addition of AED awareness training into first-aid courses is available here .

HABC Spring CPD Events

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CPD Event Banner 2016 HABC will be hosting several events during spring. Each of these events will focus on specific subject areas and will cover the relevant qualifications available from Highfield in these areas and their delivery. Delegates will have the opportunity to network with industry trainers and view supporting subject materials from Highfield International.

The events are:

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Admin Support Event

♦ Thursday, 19 May 2016
♦ University of Stirling, Scotland

Price: This is a FREE event

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Regulated First Aid Qualification Assessor & IQA CPD Training

♦ Thursday, 19 May 2016
♦ Village Urban Resorts, Tyne and Wear, Newcastle

Price: £50+VAT for HABC centres and £65+VAT for non-centres

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Education and Training Event

♦ Monday, 20 June 2016

♦ Holiday Inn, Doncaster A1 (M) Jct 36

Price: £50+VAT for HABC centres and £65+VAT for non-centres

Attendance at each of these events will entitle you to 6 CPD points.

The 2016 calendar will not only allow you to view details of our scheduled events, but will also provide you with the option of booking yourself and/or your colleagues onto them. To book yourself on to one of our events, please visit here . Alternatively, you can secure your place by calling our Sales team on 0845 226 0350 or by emailing the Events team at events@highfieldabc.net.

Spaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Book now to ensure that you don’t miss out!

Important update to first aid qualifications

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First Aid Response First aid qualifications are changing – with new requirements for tutors, assessors and IQA from later in the year.

The changes, which come into effect from 1 October 2015, will see a number of updates implemented designed to improve the rigour of first aid training qualifications and safeguard learners.

Details of the changes include requirements that:

  • Tutors hold regulated teaching or training qualifications
  • Assessors have a formal (regulated) assessing qualification
  • IQAs will need to achieve a formal (regulated) IQA qualification

Where assessors and IQAs do not hold the required qualifications, they will need to undertake first-aid assessor/IQA CPD training with an Awarding Organisation.

Further details of the tutor/assessor and IQA qualifications can be found within the qualification specification for any of the HABC first aid at work qualifications or within the Skills for Health assessment principle document.

HABC account managers are currently reviewing all tutor certificates held on the HABC system. Tutors/assessors that do not fulfil the requirements by 1 October 2015 will not be able to be selected by Centres when posting a course.

For more information, contact your HABC account manager.

2015 HABC Regulated First Aid Qualification Assessor and IQA CPD Training

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First IQA Date: Thursday 23rd July 2015 (23/07/2015)
Time: 09:00am-16:30pm
Location: Village Urban Resort – Dudley
Price: HABC Approved Centres £50.00 + VAT, Standard Price £65.00 + VAT

This event covers internal quality assurance and assessment of HABC’s suite of first aid qualifications, where on completion of the event, delegates will walk away with a CPD certificate for first aid assessment and IQA.

These events cover information on HABC’s entire first aid provision including:

HABC Level 2 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (QCF)
HABC Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work (QCF)
HABC Award in Emergency First Aid at Work at SCQF Level 5
HABC Award in First Aid at Work at SCQF Level 6
HABC Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (QCF)
HABC Level 3 Award in Paediatric Emergency First Aid (QCF)
HABC Level 2 Award in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillation (QCF)
HABC Level 3 Award in First Aid Response.

The event also gives attendees the opportunity to ask questions of our team, as well as network with other delegates, whilst further information on supporting materials from Highfield.co.uk will also be covered.

Please note: it is not mandatory to attend these events to deliver or internal quality assure any of these qualifications, providing tutors/assessors and IQAs already meet the nominated requirements within their qualification specifications.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

These events follow the guidance issued by Skills For Health and act as formal first aid CPD training, as opposed to previous first-aid orientation sessions, which were designed to introduce current and prospective first aid centres to HABC paperwork.

In order to ensure we are compliant with the General Conditions of Recognition put forward by Ofqual, we record all CPD events.

Book here

EndeavourUK help children and infants in an emergency

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Buttercups Nursery and EndeavourUK Staff and child carers at an Essex nursery recently got the opportunity to receive additional paediatric first aid training thanks to one of the region’s leading providers.

Chelmsford-based EndeavourUK , which is a HABC Approved Centre , provided a two-day session to the Buttercup Montessori Kindergarten Galleywood, Chelmsford free of charge as part of a drive to encourage schools and nurseries to go beyond the mandatory minimum of two staff trained to Level 3 in paediatric first aid .

Chris Lucas-Jones, MD of EndeavourUK, said, ‘We believe that the current standards stating the number of paediatric first aid trained staff needed in schools and nurseries is too low. Many do provide a high number of fully trained staff than the standards require, but often the training numbers are limited due to the costs and waiting lists associated with such courses. I personally feel very strongly that such training is essential in ensuring adequate child care and safety standards for children is maintained, as well as providing increased peace of mind for parents. This is why EndeavourUK is looking to assist in delivering this training to any school or nursery in Essex that would like it on a non-profit basis’.

Natasha Taylor, Principal of Buttercup Montessori Kindergarten Chelmsford, said, ‘It is absolutely essential that the minimum number of first aid paediatrics within a setting should be raised. After today’s intuitive training, EndeavourUK has enabled us to increase our number of qualified first aid paediatric staff from eight to sixteen which will be reassuring and welcomed by many parents’.

EndeavourUK Buttercups and the Mayor Robert Villa, Mayor of Chelmsford, who toured the nursery facilities and experienced a brief taster of the paediatric first aid workshop along with the Mayoress, said, ‘It was extremely inspiring to see the tremendous amount of thought and actions devoted into the health and safety of these babies and young children who attend the nursery every day. I am impressed with EndeavourUK’s non-profit first aid course they are offering to our local nurseries’.

For more information on this initiative, click here .

‘1 in 6 workers need mental health support from bosses’ warns expert

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MHFA_logo_RGB USE FOR WEB 1 in 6 UK employees will experience a mental health issue during their working life – and need support from their employer to tackle it – will warn one of the UK’s top mental health experts at a conference this autumn.

Poppy Jaman, Chief Executive of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) , will tell delegates at the HABC National Conference on 13 November 2014 at Old Trafford Stadium that employers should train staff in mental health first aid so conditions such as anxiety, depression and panic attacks can be better identified and supported by appropriately trained employees.

Mental ill health covers a range of conditions, each with specific signs and symptoms. Mental health first aiders (MHFAiders) are trained to be aware of these and guide the affected person to relevant support. Ms Jaman will argue in her speech that mental health first aid and physical first aid should go hand in hand, and that all businesses should have employees able to provide support in both areas.

poppy-jaman1 ‘With 1 in 4 people in the UK experiencing a mental health condition in any one year and depression and anxiety affecting 20 per cent of the UK working population, it seems sensible that mental health first aid should be considered as important as physical first aid, both in the workplace and in society generally’, said Ms Jaman.

‘Very sadly, in recent months the media has reported a number of high-profile people completing suicide – each as a result of poor mental health. These serve as stark reminders of the tragic consequences that mental ill health can have on an individual and those around them’.

She added, ‘Raising awareness of mental health and the risk of suicide continues to be as important as ever, but much like physical first aid, the situations that an MHFAider might encounter are not always life threatening. Put simply, if an employee breaks their arm in the workplace, the first point of call will be the trained physical first aider. If the same person showed signs of having a panic attack, who would be qualified to support them?

By training people in mental health first aid, we are teaching participants how to spot the signs and symptoms of the most common health conditions and how to guide the affected person to appropriate support. With 77,000 people in the UK already MHFA trained, our mission is to train 1 in 10 people in England to be qualified MHFAiders’.

Christian Sprenger, HABC Managing Director, said, ‘Sadly mental health in the workplace is a growing issue, but one that employers are able to contribute to positively. Having staff appropriately trained so that they can help their colleagues, support them as necessary and point them to professional help can contribute to the overall wellbeing of both employees and businesses as a whole. Poppy Jaman is the UK’s leading advocate for mental health first aid, and her presentation will be of huge interest to anyone involved in the issue of employee welfare and mental health’.

For more information, click here , call 0845 226 0350 or email events@highfieldabc.net

You can also get regular updates on the HABC National Conference 2014 by following us on Twitter and Facebook .
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance (‘HABC’) is one of the UK’s leading Awarding Organisations for vocational qualifications.
2. The first aid seminar is one of seven that make up the HABC National Conference covering a number of sectors including apprenticeships, fire safety/health and safety, food safety, licensing, pool lifeguarding and security.
3. Cost per attendee is £135+VAT for HABC Approved Centres and £195+VAT for non-Centres, with discounts available for early and multiple bookings.
About Mental Health First Aid England:
4. MHFA England is a Community Interest Company, established in 2009.
5. MHFA is the mental health equivalent of physical first aid training and provides participants with the skills and confidence to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues and effectively guide a person towards the right support services.
6. As well as the standard MHFA course, the organisation runs a number of bespoke courses including Youth MHFA, MHFA Lite, Armed Forces MHFA and MHFA Workplace.
7. More information about MHFA England and its courses can be found here or by emailing info@highfieldabc.net

NEW – paediatric first aid qualifications

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Paediatric first aid Two new qualifications are now available from HABC covering the area of paediatric first aid.

The qualifications, the HABC Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (QCF) (601/3867/1) and the HABC Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (QCF) (601/4251/0) , have been designed to replace the previous HABC Level 2 Award in Paediatric First Aid (QCF), which is being discontinued.

Registrations for the Level 2 qualification ceased on 31 August 2014 and HABC Approved Centres have a maximum of 6 weeks from this date to complete their programmes (unless special considerations are applied) and apply for learner certifications. The two new qualifications came into effect from 1 September 2014.

The paediatric first aid qualification is worth 3 credits on the QCF and is typically delivered over 2 days. It contains units covering emergency paediatric first aid and managing paediatric illness, injuries and emergencies.

The emergency paediatric first aid qualification is worth 1 credit on the QCF and can be delivered in just 1 day. It consists of one unit, covering what learners need to know on emergency paediatric first aid.

Both qualifications are assessed through practical demonstrations, as well as written and oral questioning.

If you are not currently approved to deliver paediatric first aid and would like to offer these new qualifications, then please speak to your HABC account manager. If you are currently approved to deliver paediatric first aid, you will be required to complete the first aid declaration, which can be obtained through your HABC account manager.

If you are a HABC Approved Centre , please contact your account manager for more details. If you are not already a HABC Approved Centre but would be interested in offering these qualifications through HABC, please call us on 0845 226 0350 or email info@highfieldabc.net

HABC Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (QCF)

Fee per registration per candidate
1+ Standard Price £4.75

HABC Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (QCF)

Fee per registration per candidate
1+ Standard Price £6.00