As of 1st October 2013, The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will cease providing the monitoring of First Aid at Work (FAW) and Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) Training.

The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 will still remain and the requirement for Employers to conduct a risk assessment to determine the number of trained First Aiders will still exist.

The First Aid Industry Body (FAIB) has been set up to fill the void created by HSE withdrawing from the Approvals system and give a direct alternative to the Ofqual/SQA system.

HSE have provided guidance for Employers and Guidance on the Regulations and state:

“The guidance however does not PROMOTE, RECOMMEND or SUPPORT any particular option. It does not comment on the quality of individual training courses or the service provided, nor does it provide an assessment of the quality assurance systems or any provider or class of provider”.

HSE recommends that when selecting a Training Organisation, Employers should carry out due diligence to ensure that the organisation selected is suitable. Minister Mark Hoban MP and senior officials in HSE are happy for FAIB to perform the due diligence on behalf of its Members (the Training Organisations).

It was also clarified from the Minister/HSE to FAIB that Accreditation/Assurance COULD be sought through an Independent Body other than Ofqual/SQA. The accreditation has now been achieved through the Quality Care Academy (QCA) who have experts in and expertise regarding the Health Industry.

FAIB has been created by Ian Kershaw MBE, who previously Managed the First Aid Approvals and Monitoring Service of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) from 1995-2007 and will be operated through an Advisory Panel of Democratically elected people from within Training Organisations who are experts in the First Aid Training Industry.