Quality assurance

In a very competitive industry of first aid training courses largely available it can be a minefield choosing a first aid training provider. The aim of Optimal First Aid is to deliver the very best training available anywhere and to ensure the first aid certificates issued are not just for tick in the box exercises, we want people to understand basic lifesaving skills.

Back in 2013 the Health & Safety Executive ceased the approval of training providers to deliver the First Aid at Work (FAW) and Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) courses which then opened four routes that training providers could follow.

From July 2024 Optimal First Aid has chosen to deliver training and maintain quality assurance completely independently. This means that we will certify our First Aid at Work, Emergency First Aid at Work and Outdoor First Aid courses ourselves.

Why? Well, we can, and we should.

How?

Instructors.

Optimal First Aid will only use instructors that are able to deliver first aid training the optimal way. This means that we will not source instructors from a snappy, fastball social media post, desperately seeking a “engaging, experience first aid instructor” for a course in 2 days! Sadly, this happens a lot. Unfortunately, its usually rubbish.

We will only work with trainers who have the background and skills that we as a business maintain. Qualifications are one thing but engaging, answering difficult questions and adapting are some key skills as well as,

• Being confident and competent
• Motivated
• Have a background in the subject

We Follow current guidance.

If you’ve seen us before or have come to our training courses, you will know that we don’t rely on “War stories”. We use factual based evidence that is up to date. We follow our guidance from:

• International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation
• UK Resuscitation Council
• Wilderness Medical Society
• World Health Organisation

Assessments

Our courses are very practical, as first aid should be! Encouraging learners to demonstrate skills from taught theory and practical’s can confirm the learners competencies and build confidence. Simply put, PowerPoint lectures confirm nothing other than sending people to sleep.

Our skill station, our scenarios and continual observation methods are the Optimal First Aid methods, and our learners exceed the basic first aid skills. We will always finish a course with multiple choice questions as a test. Being an independent first aid training provider allows us flexibility to deliver the training on latest guidelines and evidence rather than teach to an out-of-date ambiguous question paper or sometimes practical observations sheet.

First Aid Certificates

Certificates for the purposes of first aid at work last for three years. Before their certificates expire, first-aiders will need to undertake a requalification course as appropriate, to obtain another three-year certificate.

First Aid certificates issued from Optimal First Aid clearly state:

• the name of the training organisation
• the name of the learner
• the title of the qualification (eg FAW, EFAW or OFA)
• an indication that the certificate has been issued for the purposes of complying with the requirements of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.
• confirmation that the certificate is valid for three years.
• the date valid from.
• a statement that teaching was delivered in accordance with currently accepted first-aid practice

Continuing professional development (CPD)

As trainers we need to train! We must stay up with current guidance and respond to that with our training. We hold the qualifications, more than the training level being taught. Trainers should record all CPD, to be honest it’s a must and its another quality we hold.

Quality Assurance

The internal quality assurance (IQA) team work independently to the training team and oversee and document all training. Often on our courses there will be our quality assurance lead observing the methods, the delivery and behaviour of the training. Trainers will need to show current qualifications and CPD along with record keeping of all previous courses delivered. The IQA will sample previous work and discuss with the trainer. All reports are documented.

Feedback

Feedback forms are often used by many to see how many gold stars they can get by being mates with the learners in order to get great feedback. A lot of the time feedback form questions are irrelevant and receive pointless answers. We develop our own feedback forms and methods.

Giving feedback to learners is common training practice but how about asking the learner how they felt? What they thought was good, what was not so good?

Optimal First Aid – Train the Optimal Way and receive a First Aid certificate

These are just some of the ways that we as a training provider maintain our high standards and allow us to operate independently. Accreditation is just one form of quality assurance which can provide high quality and standards. Our higher levels and longer courses such as First Person on Scene course is externally accredited by Qualifications Network.