CQC first aid training requirements for care services

Regulation 3 of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 requires every employer, care services included, to provide first aid equipment, facilities and trained people that are "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances", or in some workplaces an appointed person to take charge; the regulation names no course, headcount or refresher interval. HSE's guidance says certificates last 3 years and strongly recommends a yearly refresher. Skills for Care recommends basic life support refreshers when identified or at least annually. CQC's Regulations 12 and 18 name no first aid level, though CQC's Regulation 18 guidance lists first aid training for people working in adult social care.

This page covers CQC registered care homes and homecare in England, as checked on 9 October 2026. For the rest of the training list, see mandatory training for care workers in the UK.

What first aid training does the law require in care?

The 1981 Regulations set a duty and name no syllabus. HSE's guidance on the Regulations, published as L74, says they apply to all workplaces, including those with fewer than 5 employees.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), an employer shall provide, or ensure that there is provided, such number of suitable persons as is adequate and appropriate in the circumstances for rendering first-aid to his employees if they are injured or become ill at work; and for this purpose a person shall not be suitable unless he has undergone such training and has such qualifications as may be appropriate in the circumstances of that case.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, regulation 3(2)

Regulation 3(1) applies the same test to equipment and facilities. Regulation 2, as L74 reprints it, defines first aid as treatment to preserve life and minimize the consequences of injury and illness until a medical practitioner or nurse is reached, plus treatment of minor injuries. Regulation 4 says the employer must tell employees about the arrangements.

Regulation 3 gives no fixed number, course name or refresher interval. The detail sits in guidance, which hands the decision back to you: HSE says it "cannot tell you what provision you should make for first aid".

Does CQC require first aid training?

Not by name. No first aid course, level or headcount was found in Regulations 12 or 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 as read for this guide.

Regulation 18(2)(a) requires that your staff receive the training their duties need, and Regulation 12(2)(c) requires care staff to have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience to work safely. The wider Regulation 18 frame is in the guides to CQC training requirements for care homes and for domiciliary care.

CQC's Regulation 18 guidance lists the learning staff should be supported to take part in, and one item "includes first aid training for people working in the adult social care sector". If you were looking for a CQC first aid level, that line is as close as the CQC pages read for this guide get.

CQC also expects "procedures to follow in an emergency that make sure sufficient and suitable people are deployed to cover both the emergency and the routine work of the service".

Who needs which course, and how many first aiders?

Which first aid course does each role need?

The 1981 Regulations leave the level to "the circumstances", which in practice means your needs assessment. HSE offers ready made levels, and Skills for Care lists basic life support and first aid in Part 1 of its guide for adult social care workers.

L74 Appendix 4 suggests extra training in recognizing major illness, such as stroke or diabetes, where a low hazard workplace has a risk from the health profile, age and number of employees, or from members of the public.

Skills for Care says it is "the employer's responsibility to determine how many people need training and to what level".

Care Certificate standard 12 asks your new workers for practical basic life support training that meets the UK Resuscitation Council guidelines, adult basic life support for adult health and social care. The assessor guide says standard 12 "cannot be awarded on eLearning or knowledge achievement only" and allows simulation. Skills for Care says the 16 standards should be covered by workers who are "new to care"; the 2025 update left standard 12 unchanged.

How many first aiders should you have?

No number is fixed. HSE says "There are no hard and fast rules on exact numbers", and the Regulations ask only for a number that is "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances".

HSE's leaflet INDG214 suggests numbers in its Table 2, "to be available at all times people are at work":

Neither band names care homes or homecare, so placing your service is a job for your own risk assessment. INDG214 calls the numbers "suggestions only" and says shift work, several buildings and absences may need more people.

Once your assessment finds a need for first aid people, L74 adds: "Where 25 or more people are employed, even in low-hazard environments, at least one such person should be provided", meaning a first aider. Separate arrangements may be needed for each shift, and if your assessment calls for first aiders, "at all times during the working day there should be a first-aider on duty".

Where your assessment calls for first aiders, an appointed person is no standing substitute: regulation 3(3) allows one only while a first aider is absent "in temporary and exceptional circumstances". L74 adds "Absences such as annual leave do not count", so plan cover for leave and sickness.

What about homecare staff who work alone?

Your first aid duty travels with your homecare staff. L74 paragraph 21 says employers are responsible for staff working away from the main site, and the needs assessment should decide whether those continuously mobile carry a personal first aid kit; for lone workers, a mobile phone may be useful. HSE's employer page lists "the needs of travelling, remote and lone workers" for your needs assessment.

HSE's lone working guidance says extra training may be needed because "It's harder for lone workers to get help", that "You must monitor your lone workers and keep in touch with them", and that emergency procedures should be tested regularly. L74 paragraph 45 adds that, depending on the needs assessment, you should consider whether mobile staff take an EFAW course, particularly if they do higher hazard work. The HSE pages read for this guide set no separate first aid level for a solo visit, and the Skills for Care basic life support and first aid row names none for lone workers.

When does a first aid certificate run out?

Regulation 3 sets no interval. HSE says FAW, EFAW and other first aid certificates are valid for 3 years and employers need to arrange retraining before expiry; a first aider who has not retrained or requalified by then is "no longer considered competent to act as a first-aider in the workplace". FAW requalification takes 2 days.

HSE strongly recommends an annual refresher within the 3 years, but the HSE FAQ answers "No" when asked whether that is mandatory. L74 Appendix 7 suggests the content: CPR, the unconscious casualty, bleeding and shock.

Skills for Care runs 2 clocks: formal basic life support "when identified or at least annually", and formal first aid "on a three yearly basis". Your training matrix may need both dates for one person. No yearly basic life support interval was found in the CQC pages read for this guide.

Is staff first aid the same as care for residents?

No. L74 says the Regulations "do not require employers to provide first aid for anyone other than their own employees", though HSE strongly recommends including non employees in your needs assessment.

The people you support fall under Regulation 12. CQC's guidance says "The provider must have arrangements to take appropriate action if there is a clinical or medical emergency". What that means for each person, including Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions, which CQC reviewed during the COVID-19 pandemic, is outside this page.

One boundary matters on your medicines round: HSE says first aid at work "does not include giving tablets or medicines to treat illness", aspirin for a suspected heart attack excepted. Residents' medicines fall under Regulation 12(2)(g).

What will inspectors ask about first aid?

CQC expects "Staff receive training appropriate and relevant to their role" under Safe and effective staffing. CQC's Regulation 18 guidance says training "should be monitored and appropriate action taken quickly when training requirements are not being met". The CQC evidence categories include staff interviews and provider audits.

New care homes and homecare agencies send CQC a staff training plan at registration; CQC's page says the plan "must include" the training for each job role, the provider for each topic and "how often refresher training will happen for each topic, if applicable". The page does not name first aid or basic life support; where either is a training topic in your plan, the page asks for its provider and refresher interval.

Which first aid records CQC asks to see was not found in the pages read for this guide. HSE says a written needs assessment, though optional, shows an HSE or local authority inspector how you decided, and L74 recommends keeping a record of first aiders and certification dates.

How do you plan and prove your first aid cover?

Three documents keep your first aid cover checkable: a needs assessment, a cover rota and a certificate log. Free tools: L74's Table 1 checklist and Appendix 1 record, INDG214, the Skills for Care guide and the Care Certificate standards.

1. Write the needs assessment. Work through L74 Table 1 for each site: hazards, headcount, health problems, accident history, shifts, lone work, absences and non employees, residents and clients included.
2. Set the level for each role. EFAW, FAW or another level from the assessment; the Skills for Care basic life support and first aid row for your adult social care workers; standard 12 for anyone new to care.
3. Build the cover rota. If the assessment calls for first aiders, plan cover for every period people are at work, out of hours included, with named cover for leave and sickness.
4. Check the provider. HSE stopped approving first aid training providers on 1 October 2013, so due diligence is yours; for blended learning, HSE strongly recommends direct observation of practical skills.
5. Keep the certificate log: first aider, course, completion date, expiry 3 years later, next refresher; L74 says training records, if you keep them, should be retained for at least 3 years after the assessment.
6. Tell everyone. Notices naming the first aiders and the kit location at every site, your homecare base included, and a slot at induction.
7. Review after incidents and changes, using a book of the incidents first aiders attend.

Course lengths are HSE's; the other times are working estimates for about 30 staff, not HSE, CQC or Skills for Care figures.

Where does first aid cover usually fail?

1. An expired certificate on the night shift. A lapsed first aider is no longer considered competent.
2. Counting someone on annual leave. The appointed person fallback does not cover annual leave.
3. Reading HSE's low hazard band as the care home rule. Neither band names care homes.
4. Assuming first aid cover protects residents. The Regulations cover employees; residents' emergencies sit under Regulation 12.
5. Elearning only basic life support for new starters. Care Certificate standard 12 "cannot be awarded on eLearning or knowledge achievement only".

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Other questions about first aid in care

Is first aid training mandatory in care homes?

The 1981 Regulations require first aid equipment, facilities and suitable, trained people that are "adequate and appropriate in the circumstances"; regulation 3(4) lets an employer appoint a person to take charge instead of a first aider where that is adequate and appropriate. Regulations 12 and 18 name no course; CQC's Regulation 18 guidance lists first aid training for people working in adult social care.

How many first aiders does a care home need?

No fixed number. HSE suggests at least 1 EFAW first aider for 25 to 50 employees in low hazard work but names no care homes, and says provision should be available at all times people are at work.

Is EFAW enough for a care home?

Your needs assessment decides. EFAW covers CPR, choking, bleeding, shock and the unconscious casualty; FAW adds specific injuries and major illness.

How long is a first aid certificate valid?

3 years, with an annual refresher that HSE strongly recommends but does not make mandatory.

Can first aid training be done online?

HSE accepts blended learning with due diligence and direct observation of practical skills; Care Certificate standard 12 cannot be awarded on elearning alone.