All our accredited first aid training courses will train and certify learners in basic life support. While not used often, CPR and defibrillation are some of the most important skills a first aid course will teach you. Safety First Aid offers training and qualification in basic life support in the following courses:
Basic life support certification for children and infants are also available in our 2-Day Paediatric First Aid Training Course and 1-Day Emergency Paediatric First Aid Training Course.
Please note that you don’t have to be certified in basic life support to perform CPR and defibrillation — helping in an emergency will always be better than doing nothing. Basic life support training, however, can give you the confidence you need to act.
What is Ofqual Accreditation?
Ofqual, or the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, is the government body that regulates all qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. When a first aid course is Ofqual accredited, it means that a government-approved qualifications network has approved the course’s contents and assessment.
All first aid training courses at Safety First Aid carry Ofqual Accreditation.
What do you learn on a BLS training and certification course?
If AEDs can be used by anyone, what is it exactly that delegates learn to do on a BLS training course?
In the event of a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia, every second counts. The faster an AED is used, the higher the chance of the casualty’s survival. Shaving off even the shortest amounts of time can be the difference between life and death.
Defibrillator training gives delegates the practice to confidently use an AED in an emergency. While these tools are designed to be easily used by anyone, learning about correct usage and participating in practice scenarios help to make applying an AED second nature.
In addition to this, CPR training helps delegates to understand the purpose of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the techniques that maximise its effectiveness.
How to obtain a Basic Life Support certificate
Upon completion of any Ofqual-accredited first aid course that covers basic life support (CPR and defibrillator training) all delegates will receive a course certificate acknowledging their completion of the learning. The certificate’s period of validity depends on which training course was passed by a delegate:
- 3-Day First Aid at Work Course: Certificate valid for 3 years
- 1-Day Emergency First Aid at Work Course: Certificate valid for 3 years
- ½-Day AED Defibrillator Training Course: Certificate valid for 1 year
Read our other blogs for more information on first aid or contact us for further advice and information on our courses.
About the author:
Jo Stokes is a writer, marketer and trained first aider at Safety First Aid.