First Aiders, Kits, and Training

This article is in a series aimed at equipping churches in the area of Health and Safety compliance. Sign up to receive our regular emails to be notified when they are published.

When thinking about what we need to know about first aid in our church contexts, the Bible is not silent.

There are many examples of first aid happening in Scripture - the most famous example being that of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

What Jesus described was not a vague moral duty, but the fulfilment of one of the most fundamental commandments – to love our neighbour (Luke 10:27-29). 

First aid provision in churches is an important way of ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone on the premises. While the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 primarily focus on employers’ duties concerning employees, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) strongly recommends including others affected by your activities in your first aid assessments.

Additionally, following the HSE Approved Code of Practice L74 would be relevant when considering the general duty to adequately ensure the health and safety of the wider public (Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974), as discussed previously.

When determining the number of first aiders, necessary training, and equipment required, it is important to consider the following:

• What activities are being undertaken, including any hazards that may cause specific kinds of injuries (e.g. burns)?
• How many people do you expect to attend a meeting or gathering, including roles (e.g. workers, members or visitors) and any vulnerable groups (e.g. children, elderly or disabled)?
• What is the history of accidents within the church or elsewhere with similar activities?
• How close are you to emergency medical services?

There is guidance available on the number of first aiders you need, however this guidance often has limited applicability to churches since it is mostly written with workplaces or large public events in mind.

For example, the British Red Cross suggests one ‘First Aid at Work’-trained first aider per 100 people, while the Purple Guide suggests two per 1,000 people for public events (with more cover needed if using ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’-trained first aiders).

Churches tend to sit between the two both in terms of numbers and the level to which a duty of care is recognised – it is less demanding than that for employees at work, but more than for a spectator at a public event.

This is complicated further by the fact that many present at a church meeting are also volunteers for whom a greater duty of care is often recognised, and that qualified first aiders may not be consistently present week-to-week.

Churches will generally want to aim between the two, exercising pragmatic judgement to balance the risk against the effort and cost of suitable arrangements.

It is, however, a good idea to always have a minimum of two first aiders available should one be called away. You should also ensure everyone knows who the first aiders are and where first aid equipment can be found if needed. You may also need to check with your insurers what their expectations are for your cover to be valid.

Further guidance from the Department for Education on first aid in schools, early years and further education may also be relevant to children and youth ministries.

There are different levels of training and responsibility (aligned to HSE requirements) for ‘appointed persons’, ‘emergency first aiders’, and ‘first aiders’:

• Appointed Person (AP): Their main role is to look after first aid equipment and ensure that emergency services are called in an emergency, rather than to provide first aid themselves.
• Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW): Usually a 1-day course focusing on basic emergency lifesaving (e.g. CPR, choking, major bleeding) and minor wounds, and considered suitable for small, low-risk environments.
• First Aid at Work (FAW): Usually a 3-day course covering a much broader range of injuries and conditions, aimed at larger or higher-risk environments and providing a higher level of confidence.

When determining what training is appropriate for first aiders in church, you may wish to check if any existing members or volunteers already have valid first aid qualifications through work or other activities.

Individuals with suitable training do not need to be retrained, but they should agree to act as first aiders for the church. Medical professionals in the congregation may similarly be able to assist in an emergency if they feel comfortable being called on in this capacity (not all doctors are confident in first aid).

If so, you may need to check with your insurer that this is acceptable to them if first aid is relevant to your policy. You may need to provide a letter confirming qualifications.

If you need more people trained to ensure appropriate cover of all activities/events, a helpful starting point is the EFAW course, which is widely available through national organisations and independent providers. It represents a lesser investment of time and money than FAW training, which is likely to be relevant only for very large churches or churches with higher risk activities.

For smaller churches, it may be sufficient to simply rely on Appointed Persons. Although training is not essential for this role, there are a number of online courses available to help. We would, however, strongly recommend contacting a local training organisation to see if they can offer a half-day/evening session on basic life support, given the practical nature of first aid.

It can also be beneficial for an Appointed Person to attend an in person ‘first aid awareness’ training session – this will not result in a formal qualification but is a low-cost way of acquainting a wider group of volunteers with the basics, and some major training providers endorse FAW-trained individuals providing this type of wider training.

NOTE ON SELECTING A TRAINING PROVIDER: Training providers should be prepared to demonstrate that they are competent to deliver first aid training and have adequate quality assurance systems in place. Choosing a provider that offers nationally regulated qualifications, or that operates under voluntary accreditation schemes (especially for EFAW or FAW courses), is a helpful way of ensuring the quality of the training. Please see the HSE information sheet for more details on selecting a first aid training provider. 

Whatever route is chosen, whether relying on qualifications gained elsewhere or organising training, it is important to keep accurate records and copies of training certificates for at least five years.

British Standard (BS) 8599 outlines recommended contents and quantities based on the size of organisation and risk level – your quipment should be informed by that standard (see here for more).

First aid kits can be supplemented with other items based on your own specific risks. However, you should generally not include any medicines (e.g. paracetamol), creams or ointments (e.g. antiseptic creams) in a workplace or church first aid kit unless identified in a first aid needs assessment and appropriate controls are put in place since they can easily become contaminated once opened.

Your first aid kits should be readily accessible - depending on the size of the building, it may be helpful to have multiple smaller kits rather than a single large kit. In addition to the main first aid kit(s), it can be helpful to have a separate box with assorted plasters and alcohol wipes to help ensure that the main first aid kits remain fully stocked. 

Kitchens may require their own specialised equipment not kept in the main first aid kit (e.g. food-safe blue plasters and burns kits).

Defibrillators

As well as first aid kits, you may wish to invest in a defibrillator, especially if a community defibrillator is not available locally (you can find your closest one at defibfinder.uk or you may find a local business has one which is not publicly listed but which you can use in an emergency). 

Defibrillators significantly improve survival rates in the event of a cardiac event, which increases in likelihood as we age. If none are available nearby, churches may be able to get a local grant to install one in a publicly accessible place outside their building.

Maintaining first aid kits

Whatever equipment is provided, regular checks are necessary to ensure the items are present and in date.

One effective method is to use tamper tags or tamper seals on first aid kits, clearly noting the expiry date of the first item due to expire. This allows for quick checks – if the tag or seal is intact, the kit does not need to be opened. The inclusion of simple plaster kits mentioned above also helps keep the seals in place for longer. 

It is good practice to check your first aid equipment on a monthly basis. 

As well as the records of monthly first aid equipment checks, you should keep a record of incidents requiring first aid treatment. This can be done using an accident book, paper, or digital forms. Forms should include the following: 

• What: details of the injury/illness and any first aid given, and what happened to the casualty immediately afterwards (e.g. continued the activity, went home, went to hospital).
  • Please note that certain injuries and occupational diseases are reportable to the HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), including a member of the public taken to hospital for treatment, and certain specified injuries to workers.
• When and Where: the date, time and location of the incident.
• Who: the name and role of the injured or ill person, as well as the details of the person(s) administering first aid and dealing with the incident. 

This information can help identify accident trends and possible areas for improvement in the control of health and safety risks. You should also ensure that completed forms are kept in a secure location in compliance with GDPR rules.