First aid requirements for care homes (CQC and HSE)
First aid in a care home sits at the meeting point of two regimes: the health and safety law that applies to every UK employer, and the CQC standards that apply to regulated care. Neither hands you a single tidy rule. The law expects you to assess your own risks and provide accordingly; CQC expects you to show that your provision keeps people safe. This guide explains what care-home managers actually have to do.
The legal foundation: the employer's first-aid duty
Every care home, as an employer, is covered by the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. These require you to provide "adequate and appropriate" equipment, facilities and personnel so that staff (and, in a care setting, the people you support) can get immediate help if injured or taken ill.
Crucially, the law does not set a fixed number of first aiders or name one compulsory course. What counts as "adequate and appropriate" is for you to determine through a first-aid needs assessment. The HSE provides guidance to help you choose competent training, but it does not approve or mandate specific providers.
What your needs assessment should cover
The needs assessment justifies every decision you make about cover, and it is exactly what an inspector expects to see. For a care home it should consider:
- ✓the number of staff on each shift, including nights and weekends
- ✓shift patterns, lone working and how quickly help could arrive
- ✓the health needs of your residents, such as falls risk, epilepsy, diabetes or frailty
- ✓the layout and size of the building
- ✓your history of accidents and medical incidents
- ✓distance from, and typical response times of, emergency services
Because care homes run around the clock and support people with significant needs, an honest assessment almost always concludes you need trained first aiders on every shift, with enough people trained to cover holidays and sickness.
Choosing the right level of training
Workplace first-aid training comes in three tiers:
- ✓Appointed person: takes charge of arrangements and calls emergency services, but is not a substitute for trained first aiders in a higher-risk setting.
- ✓Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW): a one-day course covering the life-saving essentials, often suitable for kitchen, activities or ancillary staff.
- ✓First Aid at Work (FAW): a three-day course covering a wider range of injuries and illnesses, typically right for senior carers and designated first aiders.
Both EFAW and FAW certificates last three years, and the HSE strongly recommends annual refresher training in between. Many care homes also arrange basic life support/CPR and anaphylaxis training, reflecting the real emergencies staff face.
Where CQC fits in
CQC does not replace health and safety law; it sits on top of it. Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) expects you to mitigate risks to people's health and safety, including responding promptly to a medical emergency. Regulation 18 (staffing) expects staff to receive the training they need to be competent. In practice, CQC looks for enough suitably trained staff to respond at any time of day, backed by records that prove it — this connects to the "safe" and "well-led" key questions. Note there is no single "CQC first aid certificate"; compliance comes from a sensible needs assessment, appropriate training and clear records.
Keeping it audit-ready
The difference between a care home that sails through this and one that struggles is rarely the training; it is the evidence. You want to show, in seconds, who is trained, to what level, and when each certificate expires, mapped against your shifts. AidReady gives care homes onsite training from verified, insured, awarding-body-checked trainers, an instant flat price, and an audit-ready evidence pack with three-year renewals tracked automatically.
In short
A care home's first-aid duty comes from health and safety law and is set by your own needs assessment rather than a fixed rule, while CQC expects enough appropriately trained staff on every shift plus the records to prove it.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the law tell us exactly how many first aiders a care home must have?
- No. The Regulations require 'adequate and appropriate' provision, which you determine through a needs assessment. For a 24-hour care setting that almost always means trained first aiders on every shift with cover for absences.
- Is there a specific 'CQC first aid course' we have to book?
- No. CQC works through its fundamental standards, mainly Regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) and Regulation 18 (staffing), rather than mandating a named course. You choose appropriate training based on your risks and evidence that it keeps people safe.
- What is the difference between EFAW and FAW?
- EFAW is a one-day course covering immediate life-saving basics, suitable for many general staff. FAW is a three-day course covering a wider range of injuries and illnesses, usually appropriate for senior carers and designated first aiders. Both last three years.
- Should our first aiders also learn CPR and how to handle anaphylaxis?
- For most care homes, yes. Given residents' health needs, training that covers basic life support, recognising deterioration and responding to anaphylaxis reflects the real emergencies staff encounter and helps demonstrate safe care under Regulation 12.
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and does not replace your own first-aid needs assessment or the current statutory framework. AidReady is not HSE-approved (no provider is since 2013); we book verified, insured, awarding-body-checked trainers.
See your price in minutes.
Verified trainer, one flat inc-VAT price, audit-ready evidence pack, renewals tracked. No payment until a trainer is confirmed.