You’re in Safe Hands
Safe Hands is a free monthly e-newsletter from the British Red Cross for anyone who has completed one of their workplace first aid courses — included free with your course and designed to keep your skills sharp between certificates, so you are still confident to act three years after the training day.
Why it matters. First aid certificates last three years, but the skills fade a great deal faster than that. Most first aiders never use their training, and the gap between passing the course and needing it is exactly where confidence disappears. A monthly prompt is a small thing that keeps the knowledge accessible.
What you receive each month
First aid tips and advice
Short, practical reminders on the techniques that matter most, written for people who trained once and have not used it since.
Mental health tips and advice
Guidance on supporting colleagues in distress, reflecting the growing expectation that mental health features in first aid planning.
Knowledge quizzes
Quick tests to check what has stuck and what has not — usually the fastest way to find the gaps in your own recall.
Technique videos
Short demonstrations of key skills, useful for refreshing the sequence of something you have not practised in a while.
Legislation updates
Changes to first aid guidance and workplace requirements as they happen, so your arrangements do not quietly fall out of date.
First aid myths explained
The advice that persists despite being wrong, and what the current guidance actually says instead.
Real-life stories
Accounts from people who used their training to help save a life — a reminder of why the refresher email is worth opening.
Downloadable resources
Material you can save to your phone, share with colleagues, or print and put up where the first aid kit lives.
Free courseMental Health for First Aiders
Every learner who completes an Emergency First Aid at Work, First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work Refresher course with the British Red Cross is eligible for a free 30-minute online course in mental health for first aiders.
It continues the workplace first aid learning, introducing the skills needed to support someone experiencing a mental health issue. Details of how to access it arrive by email within ten days of signing up for your course. Terms and conditions apply.
How to get it
Completing any British Red Cross workplace first aid course entitles you to free sign-up — there is no cost and no qualifying period beyond the course itself. Your trainer or joining details will point you to it, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Included with every British Red Cross course
Free monthly first aid refreshers and a free Mental Health for First Aiders course, at no extra cost on top of your training.
British Red Cross first aid courses
The three workplace qualifications that carry Safe Hands eligibility and the free mental health course.
The one-day qualification for lower-hazard workplaces. Valid three years.
The fuller three-day qualification for higher-hazard workplaces. Valid three years.
Renews an existing FAW certificate. Must be completed before it expires.
The British Red Cross also deliver first aid for appointed persons, paediatric and blended paediatric first aid, and AED with life support. For availability on those, make an enquiry or call 0808 1966 830.
Related content
Safe Hands and the Mental Health for First Aiders course are provided by the British Red Cross, and eligibility, content and terms are set by them.