Published on the EHS Today website (Environment, Health and Safety) website today is an interesting view on the rapidly changing availability of different methods of receiving first aid and CPR training. The article questions the validity of online training courses that offer certificated practical skills training whilst not actually getting an attendee to perform the skill itself.
The full article can be viewed here – http://m.ehstoday.com/health/fraudulent-or-inadequate-cpr-training-becoming-concern
RAMC Ltd Director Steve Furnell, commented on the article stating;
“This is interesting from a few different aspects…
Firstly because In the UK, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have just changed their guidance on First Aid training providers. As of October 2013 they (HSE) will no longer be approving, nor regulating first aid training providers. This has left the industry with an element of concern about the quality of some of the training provided within the first aid industry.
Secondly, there is a large push within the healthcare industry to move mandatory training for doctors and nurses to an easier, more accessible platform such as online learning. For some subjects this may work well, however for practical skills training this has not yet been proved to be safe and effective as a stand alone method of training. However, there is good evidence to show that using online learning before an instructor led course can be very effective for certain individuals; this is now used on some national level courses that we deliver.
To me it is crucial that employers understand the legislation and regulations that govern their industry – then they can ensure that their own policies are robust and fit for purpose. It is these policies that then guide them as to what training is provided to different groups of staff and who it should be delivered by. We often find organisations have been misinformed in the past and only realise this once an event has happened; often with negatives consequences.
Our ethos has always been to offer free, impartial advice that references the most current governing legislation or guidance. We enjoy spending time with our clients understanding their challenges and giving them advice and guidance on how they can ensure their environments are safe, their staff get the best and most appropriate training and most importantly their patients get the best care possible.”
If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised within this blog, please give us a call for a chat. We are here to offer advice and guidance as well as deliver certificated training courses.
