Most people only think about first aid training when something forces the question. A new job. An audit. A near miss in the car park. Then comes the harder part: working out which course you actually need.
There is now one more option on the list, and for a lot of people it is the right one.
Universal First Aid Services has been approved by PHECC to deliver the new First Aid Essentials courses, both Basic First Aid and Paediatric First Aid.
What First Aid Essentials is
First Aid Essentials provides a shorter alternative to First Aid Response for people who want practical first aid skills but do not require the full occupational responder programme. It is a one day, hands on course that gives you the skills most likely to matter in a real emergency.
There are two streams:
- Basic First Aid, for the general public, workplaces, community groups and clubs
- Paediatric First Aid, for people responsible for babies and children
Both lead to a PHECC digital certificate valid for two years.
What Basic First Aid covers
Five modules across one day:
- Introduction to first aid
- Patient assessment
- Cardiac First Response Community, which includes CPR, AED use and choking
- Injury management
- Common medical emergencies, including asthma, diabetes related emergencies, seizures, fainting, anaphylaxis, poisoning, sepsis and altered consciousness
It is practical training, not a lecture. You will be on the floor with a manikin and an AED trainer, working through scenarios with the rest of the group.
Who it is for
Basic First Aid suits:
- Employees in workplaces that want trained staff on site
- Small businesses with no designated first aider
- Community and voluntary groups
- Sports clubs, schools and youth organisations
- Anyone who simply wants to know what to do
There are no prerequisites. No previous first aid experience is needed.
How the course runs
- 6.5 contact hours, normally one day
- Maximum 8 learners per instructor
- Practical skills assessments only, no written exam
- PHECC digital certificate on successful completion, valid for 2 years
- Delivered at a UFAS venue or on site at your own premises
Basic first aid or First Aid Response?
This is the question we are asked most, and the answer is usually straightforward.
If your workplace needs a designated First Aid Responder under health and safety requirements, you need First Aid Response. That is the occupational standard and Basic First Aid does not replace it.
If you want capable, confident first aid skills for yourself, your team, your club or your household, Basic First Aid is the shorter and more practical route.
One is a role. The other is a skill set. Plenty of organisations end up wanting both.
Looking for training specifically focused on babies and children? Read our guide to PHECC Paediatric First Aid.
Why this matters to us
Getting approved to deliver a new PHECC standard is not a quick process. It takes documentation, quality assurance, instructor readiness and a lot of unglamorous work behind the scenes.
Thanks to the whole UFAS crew who got it across the line.
It means we can now offer a complete path, from a one day Basic First Aid course through to full First Aid Response, with the same standards and the same support behind every one of them.
Talk to UFAS
Not sure whether you need Basic First Aid, Paediatric First Aid or First Aid Response? Talk to the UFAS team and we’ll help you choose the right course.
Whether it is one place on a public course or training for a whole team on your own site, we are happy to talk through which course fits.
Get in touch with us for any enquiries or to arrange a training course.
Telephone: +353 (01) 699 1126
Email: info@ufas.ie
See all our courses at ufas.ie/first-aid-courses.
UFAS — On Your Side. On the Learners’ Side. Built on Trust.
Book Basic First Aid Training Get a Group Quote