We are confident that you have already put strong procedures in place for the day-to-day running of your facility. However, one thing that you most definitely cannot afford to overlook is the vital importance of first-aid in care homes.
From your legal responsibilities as an employer to preparing your staff to administer it correctly, here’s how to ensure that you are always providing appropriate first-aid for care workers and residents in your facility.
Your Legal First-Aid Duties as a Care Home Provider
As detailed in the Health and Safety (First-Aid Regulations) 1981, all employers are required to provide adequate equipment, facilities, and personnel to ensure that immediate attention is received should anyone be injured or taken ill within their workplace.
Overall, this translates into:
- Completing a relevant risk assessment to understand the first-aid needs of your specific care home
- Providing adequate first-aid equipment and facilities
- Ensuring the right number of suitable staff members to administer first-aid during all shifts
- Appoint someone to take charge of it should the main first-aider be absent
- Instruct employees regarding correct procedures and location of first-aid equipment, facilities, and trained personnel
Storing Appropriate First-Aid Equipment in a Care Home
To help you understand what you can expect, we thought we’d start by answering the two questions that we have heard most often when it comes to first-aid equipment in care homes.
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What Should Be in a First-Aid Kit in a Care Home?
As explained on the government’s Health & Safety Executive website, what should be included in a first-aid kit in a care home must be identified through a risk-assessment, just like with any other workplace.
In fact, there is no legal minimum requirement for the contents of a first-aid kit, so it is vital that you follow the advice included in the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 and run a risk assessment first.
Who is Responsible for the First-Aid Equipment in a Care Home?
In a care environment, both employers and managers are responsible for all first-aid equipment, as well as for appointing and training first-aiders on a regular basis.
The Need for First-Aiders and Qualified Appointed Persons
Based on the results of your risk assessment and the guidance offered by the Health & Safety Executive, you must determine and provide the right number of suitable persons to administer first-aid in your care home.
Usually, since most care facilities fall within the medium-risk category, this means:
- at least one appointed person if you have fewer than 5 employees
- at least one trained first-aider if you have between 5 and 50 employees
- in larger settings, at least one trained first-aider for every 50 employees
To understand the difference between the two categories:
An appointed person is an employee who has received first-aid training, can look after your equipment, and take charge should an accident happen
A qualified first-aider has also followed relevant first-aid training but holds a current certificate too and must repeat their training every three years
However, please note that those numbers might be slightly different depending on the results of your self-assessment, and don’t forget that it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to training enough staff members.
E-Courses & Training for First-Aid in Care Homes
As you now know, first-aid training is a legal requirement, but it does not have to be a costly or time-consuming chore.
There is no need to spend a considerable slice of your budget to organise in-person training sessions that would require several of your employees to take time out of their busy schedules or for you to rearrange their rotas.
In fact, you can now offer them an e-learning course on first-aid for care workers. This will allow them to follow the lessons individually and, most importantly, at their own pace, without affecting the day-to-day operations of your care home.
Online Emergency First-Aid Training (First-Aid for Care Workers)
At Learn 2 Excel, we offer an emergency first-aid course to give your employees the tools to manage unforeseen incidents and administer first-aid across a variety of situations, from CPR to head injuries and more.
This is a CPD-accredited course (intermediate level) that you can offer to both new employees and as a refresher to your existing members of staff.
Thanks to our competitive prices and bulk discounts, you can now offer first-aid for care workers to your entire staff to ensure the smooth running of your care home and avoid unpleasant surprises. For example, it will no longer be a problem should your main first-aider call in sick while the only other trained employee is on holiday.
Discover even more of our first-aid in care homes courses and take the first step to ensure that your facility is as safe as it can be.
