St John Ambulance first aid and mental health training courses for UK workplaces. St John Ambulance is the UK’s leading first aid charity, training over 400,000 people every year. All courses are HSE-compliant, delivered by qualified St John Ambulance instructors and lead to certificates recognised by employers across all industries.

Courses cover Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW), First Aid at Work (FAW), requalification, paediatric first aid, mental health first aid, fire marshal training and AED/CPR training. Classroom and on-site delivery options are available at venues across the UK.

HSE compliant All first aid courses meet Health and Safety Executive requirements
UK’s leading charity Over 400,000 people trained every year by St John Ambulance
Certificate valid 3 years FAW and EFAW certificates recognised by UK employers

First aid courses

Legal requirement — 1 day

Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)

Certificate valid 3 years — classroom & on-site

One-day HSE-compliant course for appointed first aiders in lower-risk workplaces. Suitable for offices and organisations with fewer than 50 employees. Gives learners the essential practical skills to respond confidently to workplace emergencies.

  • CPR and AED use
  • Choking — adult and child
  • Unresponsive casualty and recovery position
  • Bleeding control and wound management
  • Shock, burns and minor injuries
Legal requirement — 3 days

First Aid at Work (FAW)

Certificate valid 3 years — classroom & on-site

Comprehensive three-day HSE-compliant course required in higher-risk workplaces or organisations with more than 50 employees. Covers the full EFAW syllabus plus a wider range of emergency scenarios and injury management.

  • Everything in EFAW, plus
  • Managing an incident and casualty assessment
  • Fractures, spinal injuries and dislocations
  • Chest injuries and breathing difficulties
  • Anaphylaxis, seizures, stroke and diabetic emergencies
  • Eye injuries and poisoning
Renewal — 2 days

First Aid at Work Requalification (FAWR)

Must be completed before certificate expires

Two-day requalification course for those renewing an existing FAW certificate. Must be completed before the three-year certificate expires. If it lapses, the full three-day FAW course must be retaken. Updates skills and refreshes knowledge of current HSE guidelines.

Specialist — blended learning

Blended Paediatric First Aid

Meets Ofsted & EYFS requirements

Combines online learning with practical classroom training for childcare and education professionals. Meets Ofsted and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements for childcare registration. Covers infant and child CPR, choking, allergic reactions and injury management.

Mental health courses

Mental health

Mental Health Workplace First Aider

St John Ambulance — in collaboration with MHFA England

Training for employees nominated to provide mental health first aid support in the workplace. Covers identifying signs of mental health conditions, providing immediate non-judgemental support and signposting to professional help. The HSE recommends appointing mental health first aiders alongside physical first aiders.

  • Recognising common mental health conditions
  • How to have a supportive first aid conversation
  • Crisis first aid — suicide, self-harm and panic attacks
  • Signposting to professional support
  • Reducing stigma in the workplace
Mental health

Mental Health Workplace Responder

St John Ambulance — awareness level

A shorter mental health awareness course for employees who want to recognise early signs of mental health challenges in colleagues and provide initial support. Suitable for all staff as part of a broader workplace wellbeing programme.

Fire safety and additional courses

Fire safety — 1 day

Fire Marshal (Fire Warden) Training

Certificate valid 3 years — classroom & on-site

Practical one-day course for nominated fire marshals and wardens. Covers fire prevention, workplace fire risks, emergency procedures and evacuation duties. Helps organisations meet responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

  • Fire safety legislation and responsibilities
  • How fires start, spread and behave
  • Fire prevention and risk reduction
  • Evacuation procedures and assembly points
  • Fire extinguisher types and safe use

Who should attend

Appointed first aiders
Fire marshals & wardens
Mental health first aiders
Health & safety managers
HR managers
Childcare & education staff
Construction workers
Manufacturing staff
Facilities managers
All workplace employees

Related first aid training

All first aid courses British Red Cross first aid St Andrew’s First Aid (Scotland) Fire safety training Mental health & wellbeing All health & safety courses

St John Ambulance is the UK’s leading first aid charity, training over 400,000 people every year across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As one of the voluntary aid societies recognised by the Health and Safety Executive, St John Ambulance delivers regulated first aid at work training to organisations of every size — from sole traders to national employers.

All courses are designed and delivered by qualified St John Ambulance instructors. First aid certificates are HSE-compliant and recognised by employers across all industries. Mental health first aid courses are delivered in collaboration with Mental Health First Aid England. Training is available at classroom venues across the UK and on-site at your premises.

Why choose St John Ambulance first aid training

UK’s leading first aid charity

St John Ambulance trains over 400,000 people every year — more than any other first aid training organisation in the UK — bringing unmatched scale and experience to workplace training.

HSE recognised

St John Ambulance is one of the voluntary aid societies recognised by the Health and Safety Executive to deliver regulated first aid at work qualifications, including EFAW and FAW.

Mental health first aid in collaboration with MHFA England

St John Ambulance delivers mental health first aid training in collaboration with Mental Health First Aid England, the leading authority on mental health first aid training in the UK.

Nationwide coverage

Classroom venues and on-site delivery options available across the UK, making it straightforward to arrange training for teams at any location.

 

Frequently asked questions

A first aid at work certificate is valid for three years. Once it expires, the holder cannot fulfil the role of a workplace first aider until they have requalified. Although valid for three years, research shows first aid skills can deteriorate significantly after just six months — a phenomenon known as skills fade. The HSE strongly recommends that first aiders complete an annual refresher to maintain competence throughout the certificate period.
Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is a one-day course suitable for lower-risk workplaces with a smaller workforce. First Aid at Work (FAW) is a three-day course required in higher-risk workplaces or larger organisations. FAW covers a significantly wider range of first aid techniques including fractures, burns, anaphylaxis, chest injuries and spinal injuries. Employers should determine which course is appropriate based on their workplace risk assessment.
Attend an EFAW or FAW course and successfully complete the assessment, which tests both knowledge and practical competence across a range of first aid scenarios. If you already hold a FAW certificate that is about to expire, you can attend a First Aid at Work Requalification (FAWR) course rather than repeating the full three-day course.
An appointed person manages first aid arrangements — keeping the kit stocked and calling emergency services — but is not trained to provide first aid treatment. Appointed persons are only appropriate for very small, low-risk workplaces where the risk assessment has identified that a trained first aider is not required. A first aider holds an EFAW or FAW qualification and is trained and assessed to manage a variety of first aid emergencies.
Yes. To be awarded a certificate, learners must demonstrate both the knowledge and practical competence to manage a range of first aid incidents. If a learner does not meet the required standard in the assessment, they will not be awarded a certificate and cannot fulfil the role of a workplace first aider.
The number required depends on your workplace hazard level, number of employees, site layout and working patterns including shifts. As a general guide: higher-hazard workplaces should have at least one FAW-trained first aider for every 50 employees on site at all times. Lower-hazard workplaces should have at least one first aider for the first 25 employees, then one additional for every 100 employees. Multi-floor sites, large sites and shift patterns require first aid cover across all areas and at all times. A thorough risk assessment is required to determine the appropriate provision for your specific operation.