First Aid at Work in Reading

You end up with named first aiders on your rota, a 3-year certificate in the file for each of them, and a workplace that can run a defibrillator and stop a life-threatening bleed before an ambulance reaches the door.

Aim2Aid Ltd uses in-house trainers only, led by Rebecca Sullivan, with over 50 years of combined experience behind its first aid training services Reading employers rely on.

Call 07771 680794 for a free quote and a date that suits your team.

Course Overview

First Aid at Work is the three-day qualification for workplaces that need a full workplace first aider, and Emergency First Aid at Work is the one-day version for lower-risk settings. Both are accredited by FAIB, both carry a 3-year certificate, and both are recognised by HSE, Ofsted and the DfE.

The specifications differ in scope rather than in standard. First Aid at Work runs over three days and covers the full range of workplace injury and illness, including assessment of unresponsive casualties, fractures, burns, head and spinal injury, anaphylaxis and suspected stroke. Emergency First Aid at Work runs one day, about six hours, for up to 12 delegates, and produces the same 3-year certificate against a narrower syllabus. Choosing the right one is a matter of your risk assessment, and Rebecca will talk it through with you before anything is booked.

• First Aid at Work: three days, FAIB accredited, 3-year certificate, full workplace first aider status.
• Emergency First Aid at Work: one day, about six hours, up to 12 delegates, 3-year certificate.
• Paediatric content included with EFAW at no extra cost, which matters for mixed workplaces such as nurseries attached to offices.
• Life-threatening bleed control is now trained on every course, catastrophic haemorrhage included.
• Mental health courses are accredited separately by FAA and can be scheduled alongside your first aid renewal.

Requalification follows the same route: a full three-day First Aid at Work course before the existing certificate expires, so cover does not lapse.

Booking a Place in Reading

Booking runs as a short sequence rather than a form and a wait. Every trainer is in-house, led by Rebecca Sullivan, and never outsourced to a third party, so the person who answers your questions is part of the same team that turns up on the day.

1. Scoping call

We confirm headcount, whether you need the three-day or the one-day route, and your risk profile. Delegate numbers are capped at 12 for Emergency First Aid at Work, so groups above that are split across sessions.

2. Site check

We ask about the training space, floor area for CPR mats, access and stair arrangements. This is where Reading specifics matter. Offices in the Georgian terraces and villas around Castle Street, Castle Hill, Coley Hill, Russell Street, Baker Street and Oxford Road often have narrow stairs and upper-floor rooms, which changes both casualty-handling practice and where we set up.

3. Date confirmation and blended option

You can take the course as a single block or blended: online theory completed beforehand, practical delivered at your premises. For Emergency First Aid at Work the blended route keeps the same compliance position, one day of about six hours reduced on-site, up to 12 delegates, 3-year certificate.

4. Delivery and certification

Assessment is continuous and practical across the day or days, and certificates follow after successful assessment.

Course Content and Practical Skills

Practical time dominates. Delegates work on manikins for chest compressions at a depth of roughly 5 to 6 centimetres at 100 to 120 compressions per minute, with AED training pads and trainer units used for the defibrillation sequence. The written content sits around that, not the other way round.

• Primary survey, airway management and the recovery position.
• Adult CPR and defibrillator use, including pad placement and safe shock delivery.
• Choking, seizures, shock, anaphylaxis and diabetic emergencies.
• Life-threatening bleeding: direct pressure, haemostatic dressings and tourniquet principles.
• Bone, joint and muscle injuries, burns, and minor injuries.
• Incident recording and the first aider's role in reporting.

The three-day First Aid at Work syllabus adds head and spinal injury, chest injury, suspected stroke, poisoning and extended secondary survey work. HSE guidance on first aid at work sets out that the training your first aiders hold should reflect the hazards identified in your own assessment, which is why we ask about your processes before we quote.

Workplace and On-Site Training

All training is delivered at your premises, for your staff, on a date that fits your rota. Reading is served across the town and across Berkshire and surrounding areas, and the practical detail of the buildings shapes the day.

Reading Borough Council's local plan records 15 conservation areas in the borough, including Castle Hill, Russell Street and Oxford Road, St Mary's Butts and Castle Street, Christchurch, Kendrick, Redlands and South Park. Premises in those areas are frequently older, multi-occupancy and subject to external alteration controls, so evacuation routes, defibrillator siting and first aid room provision get discussed alongside the syllabus. Sessions in modern office and industrial space towards Palmer Park and the eastern suburbs run differently again, usually with fewer access constraints and larger rooms.

Aim2Aid Ltd, company number 16319053, operates from Windsor, and the trainers between them carry over 50 years of combined experience. Reviews are published on the site. For a quote for your business, the number is 07771 680794.

Common Questions About First Aid at Work in Reading