Basic First Aid

Basic First Aid

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Basic first aid training delivered at your workplace. One focused day. Hands-on CPR, AED, and emergency response skills. The knowledge to act when it matters, for anyone, in any setting.

Course Overview

Most people who witness a cardiac arrest, a severe bleed, or a choking incident do not have first aid training. They freeze, they panic, or they do the wrong thing because nobody ever showed them the right thing. That is not a character flaw. It is a training gap, and it is fixable in a day.

Basic First Aid Training gives learners the knowledge, practical skills, and confidence to respond in a first aid emergency: performing CPR, managing serious bleeding, helping someone who is choking, or knowing when to call 999 and what to say. It covers the situations most likely to happen and most likely to matter. All content is aligned with the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines and reflects current HSE guidance on workplace first aid provision. All practical elements, including CPR and AED use, are delivered hands-on with training equipment.

One of the things that comes up in almost every session is the AED. People walk past those bright green cabinets in supermarkets, leisure centres, and community halls every day without knowing what they are. The assumption is that they are for paramedics, or that you need special training to use one. You do not. An AED is designed to be used by anyone. It talks you through every step. And it will not deliver a shock unless it detects a rhythm that needs one. In over a decade of delivering this training, the moment a group genuinely understands that is one of the most consistent shifts in a room. People go from bystanders to potential lifesavers before lunch.

This course is not a regulated workplace qualification. Learners who need a qualification meeting the requirements of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 should consider our Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work courses instead. If you are not sure which is right, we are happy to advise.

Course Details

• Duration: 1 full day (6 hours)
• Delivery: Face-to-face only, at your workplace or chosen venue
• Certificate: CPD-accredited Basic First Aid Certificate
• Validity: 3 years. Annual refresher strongly recommended to maintain practical confidence
• Group size: Maximum 12 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone who wants a solid, practical grounding in first aid without the formality of a regulated workplace qualification.

• Staff with no previous first aid training, across any sector or setting
• Workplaces seeking first aid awareness for the wider team, alongside a regulated first aider
• Schools, colleges, and youth organisations
• Volunteers and community groups
• Parents, unpaid carers, and family members
• Individuals who simply want to know what to do if something goes wrong

No prior knowledge or experience is needed. Learners who need a regulated workplace qualification should look at our Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work courses instead, depending on their employer’s requirements under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations that book with us:

• 98.9% learner satisfaction across all Prima Cura courses
• All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
• We advise on the qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

What Learners Will Be Able to Do

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

• Explain the role of a first aider and the priorities of emergency first aid response
• Carry out a safe primary survey using the DR ABC approach
• Recognise when a casualty is unresponsive and not breathing normally
• Perform effective adult CPR in line with Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines
• Use an automated external defibrillator (AED) safely and confidently, including correct pad placement
• Manage an unconscious but breathing casualty, including the recovery position
• Respond to choking in an adult, including partial and complete obstruction
• Control serious bleeding and manage shock
• Provide basic first aid for burns, scalds, and minor injuries
• Recognise the signs of common medical emergencies and respond appropriately
• Know when and how to call 999 and what information to give the operator

What the Day Covers

All content reflects the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines and current HSE first aid guidance throughout. Topics covered include:

• The principles of first aid: priorities, personal safety, and the duty of care
• Primary survey: DR ABC and assessing a casualty systematically
• Managing an unresponsive casualty: recovery position and airway management
• CPR: technique, rate, depth, and compression-to-breath ratio for adults
• AED: what it is, how it works, who can use it, and how to use it in practice. AEDs are registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, so emergency call handlers can direct bystanders to the nearest one in real time. Every person who knows how to use one is a potential link in the chain of survival
• Choking: recognition and response in adults
• Bleeding: controlling severe haemorrhage, wound management, and when to call 999
• Burns and scalds: immediate response and what to avoid
• Shock: recognition and supportive first aid
• Minor injuries: sprains, fractures, and incident response
• Common medical emergencies: heart attack, stroke, seizure, diabetic emergency, and allergic reaction
• Calling emergency services: what to say, when to call, and how to keep someone calm while waiting

Every course is also built to include your industry-specific common risks and your organisation’s incident reporting systems as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered face-to-face only. First aid cannot be taught properly at a distance, and we do not pretend otherwise.

Sessions are delivered at your workplace or chosen venue. Groups are capped at 12 to ensure every learner gets sufficient hands-on practice time. Every session is built around your working environment, your sector’s risks, and your internal reporting procedures. We also design each course to incorporate your specific workplace hazards, your organisation’s layout, and the findings of your needs assessment. If you haven’t carried out a needs assessment yet, we can guide you through what’s involved during the enquiry process.

Delivery includes:

• Demonstration and supervised hands-on practice of CPR on training manikins with direct trainer feedback
• Practical AED training with training defibrillators
• Scenario-based learning covering choking, bleeding, burns, and common medical emergencies
• Clear, jargon-free explanation grounded in current Resuscitation Council UK guidance
• Time for questions, including the ones people are sometimes embarrassed to ask

The Legal Requirement

Under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, every UK employer has a legal duty to make adequate and appropriate first aid provision for their employees. That duty requires a first aid needs assessment to determine the right level of provision for the workplace. For many lower-risk workplaces, the appropriate outcome of that assessment is a combination of a regulated first aider and first aid awareness for the wider team. This course supports that model.

This course is not a regulated qualification and does not meet the statutory requirement for a designated workplace first aider. Where the needs assessment identifies that a regulated qualification is required, our Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work courses are the appropriate route. We are happy to advise on which applies to your workplace before you book.

Beyond the workplace, first aid awareness has no boundaries. The Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines are clear: survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest improve significantly when bystander CPR starts promptly, and an AED is used early. The skills covered in this course are not confined to a workplace. They travel with the person who learns them.

Basic First Aid or Emergency First Aid at Work?

The right course depends on what your workplace’s first aid needs assessment identifies. If your assessment determines that a regulated qualification is required under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, Basic First Aid Training does not meet that requirement. You need Emergency First Aid at Work (for lower-risk environments) or First Aid at Work (for higher-risk workplaces or larger organisations).

Basic First Aid Training is the right choice for individuals, community groups, voluntary organisations, and workplaces where awareness-level training meets the need rather than a statutory obligation. The content is very similar. The difference is accreditation, regulatory recognition, and the legal weight that comes with it.

We do not make that determination for employers. The responsibility for carrying out a first aid needs assessment sits with you. But we will give you an honest view on which course is appropriate at the enquiry stage, before you commit to anything.

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-accredited Basic First Aid Certificate, valid for 3 years.

An annual refresher is strongly recommended. Research consistently shows that practical first aid skills, particularly CPR technique, deteriorate faster than most people expect. A short annual top-up keeps confidence where it needs to be. Our Basic Life Support and AED Training is the natural next step: a focused, practical skills update between full requalification cycles.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey. All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Every trainer holds an Enhanced DBS certificate. Groups are capped at 12 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

FAQs

First Aid Guidance and Further Reading

Further Reading

• EFAW vs FAW: Which First Aid Qualification Does Your Business Need?: a detailed comparison to help you choose the right regulated course
• Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines: the current evidence base for CPR, AED use, and first aid in the UK
• HSE: First Aid at Work: HSE guidance on workplace first aid obligations, needs assessments, and qualification levels
• The Circuit: National Defibrillator Network: the register of publicly accessible AEDs across the UK

Related Courses

You may also be interested in:

• Emergency First Aid at Work
• First Aid at Work
• Paediatric First Aid
• Emergency Paediatric First Aid
• Emergency First Aid for Schools
• Basic Life Support & AED

Book or Enquire

Book or Enquire

To book this course or request a quote for your team, use the enquiry form on this page or contact us directly. Tell us your team size, your sector, and your preferred dates. We’ll come back with a quote and any advice on qualification level if you need it.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.

All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

This course is reviewed against updates from the Resuscitation Council UK, the Health and Safety Executive, NHS England, and current UK legislation, including the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK legislation and best practice as of the date of review. It does not constitute legal or clinical advice. This course is not a regulated first aid qualification and does not fulfil statutory workplace first aid obligations under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, where a regulated qualification is required. Employers should consult their workplace risk assessment and seek independent advice to determine appropriate first aid provision. Prima Cura Training accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of this content alone.

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