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CPD accreditation for first aid training

Published 30 September 2026 · 7 min read

First aid training is the sector where getting the positioning right matters most, because it can decide whether an employer meets a legal duty. Since a 2013 amendment to the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, HSE no longer approves first aid training providers. Employers now choose providers themselves, using HSE's L74 guidance to check them. Independent CPD accreditation can be part of that picture — but only if everyone is clear about what it does and doesn't prove.

The three systems in UK first aid training — and where CPD accreditation fits

1. The legal duty and HSE guidance. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to make adequate first aid provision. HSE's guidance, L74 First aid at work (third edition, amended 2018 and 2024), explains how. It records that the 2013 amendment to regulation 3(2) ended HSE's approval of first aid training providers, and describes the checks employers should make instead: appropriate content, suitable trainers and assessors, and relevant and robust quality assurance.

2. Regulated qualifications and the Voluntary Aid Societies. L74 identifies routes employers can use for first aid at work (FAW) and emergency first aid at work (EFAW) training: nationally regulated qualifications from awarding organisations, regulated by Ofqual, the SQA or the Welsh Government; and the Voluntary Aid Societies — St John Ambulance, British Red Cross and St Andrew's First Aid — which HSE acknowledges as standard-setters for first aid practice. Other providers can be used if the employer is satisfied they meet L74's criteria.

3. Non-regulated first aid CPD. Around that sits a large market of first aid awareness e-learning, annual refresher courses, basic life support and defibrillator awareness, and sector-specific first aid for schools, sports clubs, hospitality and lone workers. Independent CPD accreditation is the quality signal for this layer. AssuredCPD works here.

The distinction that matters: a CPD-accredited first aid awareness module is a legitimate, useful course. It is not, by itself, the training an appointed first-aider needs under the 1981 Regulations. L74 accepts blended learning — a combination of face-to-face and e-learning — subject to employer due diligence. It does not treat fully online learning as a substitute for practical FAW or EFAW training.

Why CPD accreditation matters in first aid training

1. Employers have to do their own due diligence. With HSE approval gone, L74 asks employers to check a provider's content, trainers and quality assurance. An independent assessment against a published framework gives them documented evidence to consider — alongside, not instead of, their own checks.
2. Content has to track clinical guidelines. L74 expects first aid content to follow current Resuscitation Council UK guidelines and the current Voluntary Aid Societies' first aid manual. Guidelines change. Accreditation with a defined review cycle catches courses that haven't kept up.
3. Refreshers are recommended every year. L74 includes suggested content for an annual refresher course. That's recurring demand, and buyers want refresher content they can trust.

What AssuredCPD assesses on a first aid course specifically

Every course is assessed against the same six domains of the Standards Framework — aims and structure, learning outcomes, delivery and accessibility, assessment of learning, CPD-hour justification, and currency — with particular attention on first aid courses to:

• Alignment with current clinical guidelines. Content on CPR, defibrillator use, choking, bleeding control and recovery position is checked against current Resuscitation Council UK guidance and the current first aid manual. Because accreditation requires every framework domain to be Met, out-of-date technique has to be corrected before a course can be accredited.
• Honest claims about workplace first aid. A course must not claim to qualify learners as workplace first-aiders under the 1981 Regulations unless it genuinely meets L74 — and a fully online course cannot. Awareness and refresher courses must say what they are.
• Practical-skill claims that match the format. Online learning can teach recognition and procedure. It cannot confirm that a learner can perform effective chest compressions. Outcomes are checked against what the delivery method can actually assess.
• Scope discipline. First aid courses must stay within first aid and not drift into clinical diagnosis or treatment advice.

Who this is for — and who it isn't

How it works, practically

1. Submit your course materials via our application form: course outline, learning outcomes, a representative sample of materials, your assessment method and pass criteria, claimed CPD hours with justification, and your content review policy. For first aid courses, tell us how each practical skill is taught and assessed, and which clinical guidelines and manual edition the content follows.
2. A named assessor reviews against the Standards Framework, with the first aid-specific attention points above. See our guide to writing learning outcomes that pass.
3. Decision within five working days of a complete submission, in writing, with reasons. Money-back guarantee if the deadline is missed.
4. On accreditation, you receive the AssuredCPD mark for the course, a listing in the provider directory, and certificates carry a code anyone can check on the verification page.

Pricing

The same public prices apply to first aid courses as to every other CPD topic. No sector loading. All figures in GBP:

• Single course: £350 first year, £245 renewal
• Membership (5–50 courses): £975 to £3,330 per year — useful for first aid providers with awareness, refresher and sector-specific courses alongside their regulated qualifications
• Conditional, not just pass/fail: if a domain is Partially met you get named conditions to fix (typically within 30 days); if a course is declined, your first resubmission within 60 days is assessed free
• No lock-ins, no application fees

Full pricing on our pricing page. Related: CPD accreditation for health and safety training.

What we're honest about

• We are not HSE, an awarding organisation, or a Voluntary Aid Society. HSE no longer approves first aid training providers, and our mark is not a substitute for that former approval.
• Accreditation is not a determination that a course meets L74 for appointed first-aiders. That judgement is the employer's, using HSE's guidance. Our assessment is evidence they may consider.
• We assess the course, not the trainer's clinical competence. Trainer and assessor suitability remains part of the employer's own due diligence under L74.

FAQ

Does HSE still approve first aid training providers?

No. HSE's L74 guidance records that a 2013 amendment to regulation 3(2) of the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 ended HSE's approval of first aid training providers. Employers now choose providers themselves, checking content, trainers and assessors, and quality assurance as L74 describes.

Can a CPD-accredited online course train someone as a workplace first-aider?

Not on its own. L74 accepts blended learning, which combines face-to-face and e-learning, subject to the employer's due diligence. Fully online courses are valuable for awareness and refresher learning, but are not a substitute for the practical first aid at work or emergency first aid at work training appointed first-aiders need.

Is CPD accreditation the same as an FAW or EFAW qualification?

No. FAW and EFAW are available as regulated qualifications from awarding organisations and through the Voluntary Aid Societies. CPD accreditation is an independent assessment of a course against our Standards Framework, which an employer may consider as part of its due diligence.

How much does CPD accreditation cost for a first aid course?

£350 for a single course in the first year and £245 on renewal. Annual memberships covering multiple courses run from £975 for up to five courses to £3,330 for up to fifty. There are no per-certificate fees and no minimum contract.

Apply for accreditation   See pricing