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{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

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First Aid at Work Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that {{org_field_name}} has adequate and appropriate arrangements for responding promptly to accidents, injuries and sudden illness affecting employees and, where relevant to the regulated care provided, people we support and other persons on the premises.

For employees, {{org_field_name}} will provide first-aid equipment, facilities and personnel that are adequate and appropriate in the circumstances, having regard to an assessment of first-aid needs, in accordance with the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.

For people we support, first-aid and emergency arrangements will form part of the service’s wider arrangements for providing safe care and treatment, assessing and mitigating risks, maintaining safe equipment and deploying suitably competent staff in accordance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, including Regulations 12, 17 and 18.

This policy must be read alongside the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 and the statutory duty of candour requirements in Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 where those requirements apply.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all employees, agency staff, volunteers, and contractors working within the care home premises or on external visits. It also ensures appropriate first aid arrangements are in place for the people we support in accordance with their individual risk assessments and care plans.

3. Related Policies

• CH16 – Health and Safety at Work Policy
• CH18 – Risk Management and Assessment Policy
• CH24 – Management of Accidents, Incidents, and Near Misses Policy
• CH11 – Safe Care and Treatment Policy
• CH17 – Infection Prevention and Control Policy

4. First Aid Provision

4.1 First Aid Personnel

{{org_field_name}} will determine the number, location and level of competence of first-aid personnel required through a documented assessment of first-aid needs. The assessment will take account of the nature of the work, workplace hazards and risks, the number and distribution of employees, working patterns and shifts, absences, the size and layout of the premises, employees working away from the main premises, previous incidents and any other factor relevant to ensuring that first-aid assistance is available when required.

Where the first-aid needs assessment identifies that trained first-aiders are required:

• A sufficient number of appropriately trained and competent first-aiders will be available whenever the circumstances identified by the assessment require them.
• First-aiders will have undertaken suitable training, hold an appropriate and current first-aid qualification and remain competent to carry out their role.
• The level of training required, including First Aid at Work (FAW), Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) or other appropriate training, will be determined by the first-aid needs assessment and the duties the individual is expected to perform.
• The Registered Manager will ensure that expiry dates of first-aid qualifications are monitored and that requalification training is arranged within the required certification period.
• Arrangements must take account of planned absences, shift patterns and other foreseeable circumstances so that required first-aid cover is maintained.

Contact details for designated first-aid personnel will be made readily available to staff:

• Name: {{org_field_first_aider_name}}
• Telephone: {{org_field_first_aider_phone}}
• Email: {{org_field_first_aider_email}}

Appointed Persons

Where the first-aid needs assessment identifies that a trained first-aider is not required, {{org_field_name}} will appoint a person to take charge of first-aid arrangements.

The appointed person’s responsibilities will include:

• taking charge of first-aid arrangements;
• ensuring that first-aid equipment and facilities are appropriately maintained;
• obtaining or arranging replenishment of first-aid supplies; and
• calling the emergency services when required.

An appointed person is not a substitute for a trained first-aider where the first-aid needs assessment identifies that trained first-aiders are required.

All employees will be informed of the first-aid arrangements, including how to obtain first-aid assistance and the location of first-aid personnel, equipment and facilities.

4.2 First Aid Equipment

{{org_field_name}} will provide first-aid equipment that is adequate and appropriate for the circumstances identified through the first-aid needs assessment. First-aid equipment must be readily accessible when required.

First-aid kits will be provided at locations identified through the first-aid needs assessment, taking account of the layout and activities of the care home and any work undertaken away from the main premises.

The contents and quantity of first-aid supplies will be determined by the first-aid needs assessment. Where {{org_field_name}} chooses to use a recognised British Standard first-aid kit, this may assist in determining suitable contents, but compliance with a particular British Standard is not itself a statutory requirement under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.

First-aid equipment will be checked at appropriate intervals and following use to ensure that:

• required items are present and available in sufficient quantities;
• items are within their expiry dates where applicable;
• packaging and sterile items remain intact;
• used, damaged or expired items are replaced promptly; and
• equipment remains suitable for the risks identified in the first-aid needs assessment.

Responsibility for checking and replenishing first-aid equipment will be allocated by the Registered Manager and appropriate records of checks will be maintained where required by the home’s governance arrangements.

4.3 First Aid Facilities

• A dedicated first aid room is provided where feasible, equipped with hygienic handwashing facilities, a couch, and necessary first aid equipment.
• Any additional specialist first aid equipment, such as an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), is maintained and checked regularly.

4.4 Scenarios Where First Aid Can Be Provided On-Site

First aid will be provided for, but is not limited to, the following scenarios:

• Minor Injuries: Cuts, grazes, burns, bruises, sprains, and minor fractures.
• Medical Emergencies: Seizures, diabetic episodes, anaphylactic shock, asthma attacks, and choking.
• Cardiac Events: Heart attacks, strokes, or situations requiring CPR or AED use.
• Falls: Immediate response to falls, assessing injury severity, and arranging medical support if necessary.
• Shock and Unconsciousness: Managing individuals in shock, loss of consciousness, or fainting.
• Allergic Reactions: Administering emergency care, including EpiPen use if prescribed.
• Head Injuries: Initial assessment, monitoring symptoms, and arranging medical intervention if needed.
• Poisoning or Overdose: Providing immediate care and contacting emergency services as required.
• Breathing Difficulties: Assisting with asthma, choking, or other respiratory distress situations.

4.5 First Aid Procedures

In the Event of an Accident, Injury or Sudden Illness

1. Staff must first assess the immediate situation and avoid placing themselves, the casualty or other persons at further risk.
2. Appropriate first aid must be provided by a person who is competent to provide the assistance required. Staff must work within the limits of their training, competence and role.
3. Where urgent medical assistance is required, staff must call 999 or 112 without delay and provide the emergency service with accurate information. The Registered Manager or senior person on duty must also be informed as soon as practicable.
4. Staff must not allow the provision of first aid to delay access to emergency or other appropriate healthcare where the person’s condition requires professional medical assessment or treatment.
5. The accident, injury, illness, first aid provided and subsequent action must be recorded promptly and accurately using the service’s applicable accident, incident and care-recording systems.
6. Where the incident concerns a person we support, relevant risk assessments and care plans must be reviewed following the incident where this is necessary to reflect new information, changing needs or measures required to reduce the risk of recurrence.
7. The Registered Manager or delegated competent person must determine whether the incident triggers any external reporting or notification requirement, including:
   • notification to the Care Quality Commission under the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009;
   • reporting under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR);
   • a safeguarding referral or notification to the relevant local authority or other safeguarding body;
   • notification to another relevant statutory authority; or
   • the statutory duty of candour procedure.
8. Where a statutory notification or report is required, it must be made within the applicable statutory timescale and a record of the notification or report must be retained.
9. Incidents will be reviewed and, where appropriate, investigated so that contributory factors, required remedial action, lessons learned and measures necessary to reduce recurrence can be identified and acted upon.

4.6 Reporting Under RIDDOR

The Registered Manager, provider or other person identified as the responsible person must ensure that incidents reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 are reported to the relevant enforcing authority in accordance with the statutory requirements.

Reportable events may include, where the applicable RIDDOR criteria are met:

• work-related deaths;
• specified injuries to workers;
• work-related accidents resulting in a worker being unable to carry out their normal duties for more than seven consecutive days;
• specified occupational diseases;
• specified dangerous occurrences; and
• work-related accidents involving a person who is not at work, including a person we support or visitor, where that person is injured and is taken directly from the scene of the accident to hospital for treatment.

A person being taken to hospital because of illness, or solely as a precaution where no work-related accident has caused an injury requiring treatment, does not by itself make the event reportable under RIDDOR.

The Registered Manager must ensure that each potentially reportable event is assessed against the current RIDDOR criteria rather than assuming that every accident, fall, hospital attendance or first-aid intervention is reportable.

Where a RIDDOR report is required:

• incidents requiring notification without delay must be reported in accordance with the applicable statutory reporting procedure;
• the report must be submitted within the statutory timescale;
• over-seven-day incapacitation of a worker must be reported within 15 days of the accident; and
• a record of the assessment and report must be retained in accordance with applicable record-keeping requirements.

4.7 First Aid for the People We Support

First-aid and emergency arrangements for people we support must be based on their assessed needs and risks and must form part of safe, person-centred care.

Where relevant to the individual, care plans and risk assessments must contain sufficient information to enable staff to respond safely to foreseeable emergencies. This may include:

• relevant diagnoses and medical conditions;
• known allergies;
• risks such as choking, seizures, anaphylaxis, diabetes or falls;
• prescribed emergency medicines and the circumstances in which they may be administered;
• individual emergency protocols or healthcare professional instructions;
• communication requirements;
• actions staff must take in an emergency; and
• circumstances in which emergency medical assistance must be obtained.

Staff providing care or treatment must have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience necessary to carry out the tasks allocated to them safely and must work within the limits of their role and competence.

Where emergency medicines or medical devices are provided for an individual, they must be available when needed and managed, maintained and used safely in accordance with the person’s care plan, the prescriber’s instructions and applicable medicines procedures.

Following an accident, injury or medical emergency, the person must be involved and informed in a manner appropriate to their needs and circumstances.

Family members, carers or representatives will be informed where the person has consented to their involvement or where another lawful basis exists for sharing the information. Where the person lacks capacity to make the relevant decision, staff must act in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and any person lawfully authorised to act on the person’s behalf.

Where an incident meets the statutory definition of a notifiable safety incident, the registered person must implement the statutory duty of candour procedure in accordance with Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This includes informing the relevant person, providing a truthful account of what is known, apologising, explaining appropriate further enquiries or investigations, providing the required written follow-up and maintaining an appropriate written record.

4.8 Infection Control in First Aid

• Staff must wear disposable gloves and aprons when treating injuries.
• All used dressings and contaminated materials must be disposed of safely, following infection prevention protocols.
• Handwashing and disinfection procedures must be followed after administering first aid.

4.9 Training, Competence and Awareness

{{org_field_name}} will ensure that staff receive the training, support and information necessary to enable them to carry out their duties safely and competently.

First-aid training requirements will be determined by the first-aid needs assessment and by the role and responsibilities of individual members of staff.

The Registered Manager must ensure that:

• staff designated as first-aiders undertake suitable first-aid training and hold an appropriate current qualification;
• first-aiders remain competent to perform their role and complete required requalification training before their qualification expires;
• employees are informed of the home’s first-aid arrangements, including how to summon assistance and the location of first-aid personnel, equipment and facilities;
• staff who are expected to respond to individual medical emergencies affecting people we support receive appropriate training and are assessed as competent where the task requires demonstrated competence;
• staff only undertake first-aid, emergency care or use of medical equipment within the limits of their training and competence; and
• training and competency records are maintained and monitored so that required refresher or requalification training is completed when necessary.

Where deficiencies in knowledge or competence are identified through supervision, incident review, changes to a person’s needs, changes to equipment or procedures, or the first-aid needs assessment, additional training or competency assessment will be arranged.

4.10 Monitoring, Review and Compliance

The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring that effective arrangements are maintained for first aid and for monitoring compliance with this policy.

A documented first-aid needs assessment will be completed and kept under review. It must be reviewed whenever there is reason to believe that the existing assessment may no longer be valid, including following significant changes to the service, premises, staffing arrangements, work activities, identified risks or relevant incident patterns.

The Registered Manager will ensure that systems are in place to monitor:

• the adequacy and availability of first-aid personnel;
• first-aid qualification and requalification dates;
• the availability and condition of first-aid equipment and facilities;
• accidents, injuries and medical emergencies;
• compliance with statutory notification and reporting requirements;
• actions identified following incidents or investigations; and
• whether risk assessments, care plans, training or working practices require amendment.

Accident and incident information must be reviewed at appropriate intervals to identify themes, trends, recurring risks and opportunities to improve safety.

Records relating to first-aid arrangements, accidents, incidents, investigations, staff competence and statutory notifications must be accurate, complete, appropriately maintained and available for governance and regulatory purposes.

Where monitoring identifies a deficiency or increased risk, the Registered Manager must ensure that proportionate corrective action is taken and followed through to completion.

5. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed at planned intervals determined by {{org_field_name}} and sooner where necessary following:

• a change in applicable legislation, statutory guidance or regulatory requirements;
• a significant change to the service, premises, staffing arrangements or work activities;
• a change identified through the first-aid needs assessment;
• an accident, incident or emergency that identifies a weakness in existing arrangements;
• findings from an investigation, audit, inspection or regulatory assessment; or
• evidence that the policy or associated procedures are no longer effective.

Where a review identifies that first-aid arrangements, procedures, equipment, staffing, training, risk assessments or care plans require amendment, the Registered Manager must ensure that appropriate changes are implemented and communicated to affected staff.

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Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.