New First Aid advice from EYFS and HSE during Covid19.
First Aid for Life and Onlinefirstaid.com can help with all your first aid training at this difficult time.
First Aid for life is a fully regulated first aid training provider. Approved through Qualsafe Awards to provide Ofqual and HSE first aid training. We continue to deliver essential first aid training to schools, nurseries and businesses and individuals across the UK. Offering innovative approaches to the challenges faced during Covid19 to help you meet your legal requirements.
First Aid for Life operates to the very highest standards of hygiene, health and safety to ensure the safety of all our staff and customers. We deliver our training according to the latest Government and Public Health England advice and guidance. Adhering to social distancing, extra hygiene and infection control measures & incorporating revised training techniques accordingly.
Our multi-award-winning, online first aid courses (through onlinefirstaid.com) are ideal to help you prove you have undertaken your ‘best endeavours’ to gain the appropriate first aid training for your organisation. You can choose one of our online paediatric first aid courses, as the pre-learning and we can run the practical element for you post Covid19. Alternatively, if that isn’t possible, you could do the online first aid course on its own. We can then offer 1:1 remote assessment through Zoom or Skype and issue an interim certificate.
First Aid for Life is fully regulated through Qualsafe Awards to provide blended first aid training fulfilling HSE and Ofsted requirements for your organisation.
Please read the new Covid19 guidance below from the EYFS and the HSE concerning changes resulting from the challenges of social distancing to prevent the spread of Coronavirus:
EYFS New Guidance for Paediatric first aid during the Covid19 crisis.
Click here to read the full statement
Section 6.2 Paediatric First Aid
The changes:
At least one person who has a full paediatric first aid (PFA) certificate must be on the premises at all times when children are present. This rule applies where there are children below the age of 24 months. Paragraph 3.25 and Annex A of the EYFS set out more detail. However, for children aged 2-5, providers must use their ‘best endeavours’ to ensure one person with a full PFA certificate is on-site when children are present. After using best endeavours if they are still unable to secure a member of staff with full PFA to be on site then they must carry out a written risk assessment. And ensure that someone with a current First Aid at Work or emergency PFA certification is on site at all times children are on premises.
To help bridge the gap between their current qualification and full PFA, they can secure online training to cover elements required for the care of young children.
We used the term ‘reasonable endeavours’ for learning and development and welfare requirements relating to staff qualification levels. For the Paediatric First Aid requirement, we used ‘best endeavours’. ‘Best endeavours’ is a higher level requirement than ‘reasonable endeavours’. We used it here to ensure meeting the Paediatric First Aid requirements takes priority over the other changed areas of the EYFS framework.
Best endeavours
‘Best endeavours’ means to identify and take all the steps possible within your power, which could, if successful, ensure there is a paediatric first aider on site when a setting is open, as per the usual EYFS requirement on PFA.
Please note this does not apply for childminders as they must already have a full PFA certificate.
New entrants (levels 2 and 3) will not need to hold a Paediatric First Aid (PFA) certificate within their first 3 months in order to be counted in staff: child ratios, during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Additionally, if PFA certificate re-qualification training is prevented for reasons associated directly with COVID-19, or by complying with related government advice, the validity of current certificates can be extended by up to 3 months. This applies to certificates expiring on or after 16 March 2020.
Providers remain responsible for ensuring all children in their care are kept safe at all times.
What this means in practice:
For providers with children below the age of 24 months in their care, the requirements around PFA remain the same as in the current EYFS framework. With the exception that during the COVID-19 outbreak new entrants do not need to have a PFA certificate to be counted in ratios. This recognises the greater risk factors for babies and young children in this age bracket. Including choking risks and different cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedures for those aged 0-1 as set out by the NHS.
For providers who have children aged 2-5 in their care they must use ‘best endeavours’ to have one person with full PFA. By best endeavours we mean providers must be able to demonstrate they have identified and taken all the steps possible to appoint a suitable person. This should include liaising with their local authority to find a suitable person, this could include identifying and looking to appoint:
- a person with a PFA certificate and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check from a local provider who has closed; or
- a registered local childminder with a PFA certificate and DBS check who is approved to work on non-domestic premises
Looking to secure full PFA training for staff that includes the specific risk factors and techniques required for the care of young children including but not limited to choking, seizures, and issues related to sleeping. Annex A of the EYFS statutory framework sets out the criteria for effective PFA training.
Action required if there is no one with a full PFA certificate
After these actions have been carried out and if it is still not possible for someone with a full PFA certificate to be on site at all times children are present, providers must undertake the following actions in order to remain open:
- Carry out a written risk assessment to consider and mitigate the likely occurrence of a serious incident.
- Ensure at least one person with a current First Aid at Work or emergency PFA certification is on site at all times children are on premises and must accompany children on outings. Paragraph 3.65 in the EYFS continues to apply and outings should only be undertaken if it is safe to do so. Providers must take account of any Govt advice in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Risk Assessments:
The written risk assessment should take into account all relevant factors with the aim of enabling the setting to ensure they can provide the safe care needed by children of critical workers and vulnerable children during COVID-19 outbreak, including:
- The number of children on the premises
- The staff to child ratios
- The types of activities undertaken with the children on the premises
- The likely need for first aid based on the needs of the children attending the premises
- First aider knowledge among staff on the premises: and
- The mitigations available to reduce the risk of such an incident
Providers will need to keep the written risk assessment available in the setting throughout the COVID-19 breakout.
Members of staff who have a First Aid at Work or emergency PFA certificate can undertake online training to cover elements required for the care of young children.
HSE provides guidance on choosing a first aid training provider. First Aid for Life is fully regulated through Qualsafe Awards to provide HSE, Ofqual, EYFS and Ofsted first aid courses.
As set out in HSE guidance, any training in relation to paediatric CPR and choking should be in line with the Resuscitation Council’s guidance and NHS England guidance.
Specific Resuscitation Council UK advice on giving CPR in Schools:
Paediatric advice
We know that paediatric cardiac arrest is unlikely to be caused by a cardiac problem and more likely to be a respiratory one, therefore ventilations will be crucial to the child’s chances of survival. However, for those not trained in paediatric resuscitation, the most important thing is to act quickly to ensure the child gets the treatment they need in the critical situation.
Resuscitation Council UK Paediatric Guidance was written with the general public in mind as we know that many sudden cardiac arrests occur in the home hence: It is possible that the child/infant having an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest maybe known to you.
Specific advice for CPR in Schools, Nurseries and other childcare settings:
However, we recognise that in the school situation this may not always be the case. Therefore you should always undertake a dynamic/rapid risk assessment. Considering such factors as the history of the child’s collapse and any known medical history, the presence or otherwise of COVID–19 signs/symptoms and the medical history of the rescuer.
We accept that doing rescue breaths will increase the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus, either to the rescuer or the child/infant (hence the need for a rapid dynamic risk assessment at the point of collapse). If the decision is to give rescue breaths, this may be mitigated by the use of airway adjuncts such as face shield, pocket mask or bag-valve-mask device if training has been received in the use of such devices. The choice of airway adjunct is dependent on the local environment, the level of training available to staff, and local supply chains.
How First Aid for Life can help:
First Aid for Life can deliver appropriate first aid training – including training in the use of bag-valve-masks and airway adjuncts, to enable you and your staff to stay safe whilst giving the children in your care the best chance of survival in the case of a serious medical emergency.
COVID-19: Statement from HSE and DfE relating to certificate expiry
Health and Safety Executive statement
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware that people holding Offshore Medic (OM), Offshore First Aid (OFA), First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) certificates nearing expiry date, might experience disruption to access to re-qualification training as a result of events or circumstances generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
HSE’s current guidance on the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l74.pdf and the Offshore Installations and Pipeline Works (First-Aid) Regulations 1989 https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l123.pdf is that those holding an OM, OFA, FAW or EFAW qualification should undertake retraining before their original certificate expires and HSE strongly recommends that employers, and individuals holding those qualifications should plan for re-qualification training well in advance of expiry dates.
If you are unable to re-qualify for reasons associated directly with coronavirus or by complying with related government advice, we’ll extend the validity of current certificates by up to 3 months. When taking advantage of this extension you should be able to describe clearly your reasons for delaying re-qualification training, and demonstrate steps you have taken to undertake the training.
This applies to certificates expiring on or after 16th March 2020. The HSE will review this matter over the coming months and will issue further statements as necessary.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/first-aid-certificate-coronavirus.htm
Department for Education statement
The Department for Education supports the HSE statement regarding the extension of first aid certificates during coronavirus emergency. We will also apply this extension to paediatric first aid certificates held by staff in early years provision. Wales also agrees with these changes.
Please also refer to the Resuscitation Council UK update on their interim guidance for resuscitation during the Covid19 pandemic.
Contact us:
First Aid for Life and Onlinefirstaid.com can help with all your first aid training at this difficult time. First Aid for life is a fully regulated first aid training provider. Our multi-award-winning, online first aid courses are ideal to help you prove you have undertaken your ‘best endeavours’ to gain the appropriate first aid training for your organisation. You can undertake one of our online paediatric first aid courses, as the pre-learning and we can run the practical element for you post Covid19. Alternatively, if that isn’t possible, you could do the online first aid course on its own and we can offer 1:1 remote assessment through Zoom or Skype and issue an interim certificate.
If you require first aid training, please email emma@firstaidforlife.org.uk, call us on 02086754036, or visit our website to book online.
0 Comments