Basic Life Support & AED

Basic life support & AED (BLS) training delivered at your workplace. Three focused hours. Hands-on CPR and defibrillator practice. The accepted annual refresher for EFAW and FAW certificate holders.

Course Overview

There is a pattern that comes up consistently in the years after people complete their Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work qualification. The certificate is on the wall. The training feels recent. But the last time they actually practised chest compressions was the day they qualified, and that was two years ago. CPR technique deteriorates faster than people expect. Confidence goes with it.

That is exactly the gap this course is built to fill.

Basic Life Support and AED Training is a focused, three-hour, hands-on refresher covering the skills that matter most in a cardiac emergency: recognising cardiac arrest, performing high-quality CPR, and using an automated external defibrillator correctly. It is the accepted annual refresher for holders of Emergency First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work certificates, keeping practical competence current between full requalification cycles.

All content is aligned with the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines, which reflect the most current international evidence on basic life support and defibrillation.

This course is also well-suited to staff who need a practical BLS competency without the full scope of a regulated first aid qualification, including health and social care teams, education staff, workplace first responders, and community organisations. Learners who need a regulated workplace qualification should consider our Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work courses instead.

Course Details

  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Delivery: Face-to-face only, at your workplace or chosen venue
  • Certificate: CPD-accredited Basic Life Support and AED Certificate, or Worksafe and FAIB award, depending on your requirements
  • Validity: Annual refresher recommended, or in line with organisational policy
  • Group size: Maximum 12 learners per trainer. Larger groups available on request

Who This Course Is For

This course is right for anyone who needs to keep their life support skills sharp between full first aid requalifications, and for teams who need a focused BLS competency without the full scope of a regulated qualification.

  • EFAW and FAW certificate holders using this as their accepted annual skills refresher
  • Health and social care staff requiring regular BLS competency updates
  • Workplace first responders and designated first aiders
  • Education and childcare staff
  • Community and voluntary organisations
  • Anyone who completed first aid training previously and wants to rebuild practical confidence

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, and 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 honestly 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:

  • Recognise when a casualty is unresponsive and not breathing normally, and act without delay
  • Perform high-quality adult CPR in line with Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines, including correct rate, depth, and compression-to-breath ratio
  • Use an automated external defibrillator safely and confidently, including correct pad placement
  • Manage an unconscious but breathing casualty, including the recovery position
  • Apply infection prevention and personal safety measures during life support
  • Know when and how to call 999 and what information to give the operator
  • Maintain CPR and AED use until emergency services arrive and take over

What the Session Covers

All content reflects the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines throughout. Topics covered include:

  • The principles of basic life support and the chain of survival
  • Assessing an unresponsive casualty: safety, responsiveness, airway, and breathing
  • Adult CPR: technique, rate, depth, and compression-to-breath ratio
  • AED use in practice: pad placement, voice prompts, shock delivery, and resuming CPR
  • The national AED network
  • Recovery position and managing an unconscious breathing casualty
  • Infection prevention and personal safety during resuscitation
  • Team response, communication, and handover to emergency services
  • When to stop CPR: clear guidance on decision-making at the scene

Every course is also built to include your organisation’s incident reporting systems and any specific emergency procedures relevant to your setting.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered face-to-face only. CPR and AED use are physical skills. They cannot be refreshed through a video or a slide deck. Every learner on this course gets hands-on practice on training manikins and with training defibrillators, with direct feedback from the trainer throughout.

Sessions are delivered at your workplace or chosen venue. Groups are capped at 12 to ensure every learner gets sufficient hands-on practice time, with larger groups available on request. Every session is built around your working environment, your sector’s risks, and your internal reporting procedures. Delivery includes:

  • Hands-on CPR practice on training manikins with direct trainer feedback
  • Practical AED training with training defibrillators
  • Scenario-based practice covering the full cardiac arrest response sequence
  • Individual feedback on technique throughout
  • Time for questions, because three hours of practical training generates them

Why Basic Life Support & AED Training Matters

Under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, employers must ensure adequate and appropriate first aid provision, which includes keeping qualified first aiders competent throughout the validity period of their certificate. A qualification is only as good as the practical ability behind it. Annual BLS refresher training is the recognised way to maintain that standard between full requalification cycles.

The clinical case is equally direct. The Resuscitation Council UK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines are clear: survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest improve significantly when bystander CPR starts promptly and an AED is used early. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival. Research consistently shows that CPR technique, including compression rate, depth, and recoil, deteriorates meaningfully without regular practice. An annual refresher is not a bureaucratic requirement. It is the difference between a first aider who can perform effective CPR and one who thinks they can.

For health and social care providers, the expectation under CQC Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment is that staff can respond safely to medical emergencies. Documented annual BLS refresher training is one of the clearest ways to evidence that the standard is met.

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive a CPD-accredited Basic Life Support and AED Certificate. Worksafe and FAIB awards are also available depending on your organisation’s requirements.

Confirm which you need at the enquiry stage. Annual refresher training is strongly recommended, or in line with your organisational policy. For EFAW and FAW certificate holders, this course is the accepted annual skills update. Our Emergency First Aid at Work course is the natural next step when the three-year requalification cycle comes around.

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

Is this the same as Emergency First Aid at Work?

No. This course focuses specifically on life support skills such as CPR and AED use. Emergency First Aid at Work covers a broader range of first aid situations and is a regulated qualification.

Is this course accepted as the annual EFAW and FAW refresher?

Yes. Basic Life Support and AED Training is the accepted annual refresher for holders of Emergency First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work certificates. It is designed to maintain practical CPR and AED competence between full three-year requalification cycles.

Does the course include practical CPR and AED use?

Yes. Delivered face-to-face, learners practise CPR and AED use under instructor guidance.

Which certificate will learners receive?

Learners can receive either a CPD-accredited Basic Life Support and AED Certificate or a Worksafe and FAIB award, depending on your organisation’s requirements. Confirm which you need at the enquiry stage ,and we will arrange accordingly.

Further Reading

Related Courses

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, 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 at 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 the statutory requirement for a designated workplace first aider under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. Employers remain responsible for carrying out a first aid needs assessment and ensuring their arrangements comply with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

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