First Aid Courses in Manchester, Bolton, Wigan, Oldham and Stockport
EFAW, FAW or Paediatric? What the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 actually require, how many first aiders you need, and whether open or group courses work out cheaper across Greater Manchester.
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Quick answer
We run first aid courses across Greater Manchester — Manchester, Bolton, Wigan, Oldham and Stockport — as both open courses (book one or two individual places) and group courses delivered at your own premises. The course you need depends on your workplace: Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is one day and suits lower-hazard workplaces, First Aid at Work (FAW) is three days for higher-hazard ones, and Paediatric First Aid is the qualification for nurseries, schools and childcare. All lead to a certificate valid for three years.
Searching for a first aid course near you in Greater Manchester throws up a lot of options and very little explanation of which one you actually need. This guide sets out the choices plainly, tells you what the law asks of you, and shows what we currently have bookable.
We have been training people in and around Bolton since 1996, and we cover the whole of Greater Manchester — Manchester city centre, Bolton, Wigan, Oldham and Stockport included.
Which course, by who you are
| If you are… | You probably need | Length |
|---|---|---|
| An office, shop, salon or small professional firm | EFAW | 1 day |
| A factory, warehouse, workshop or construction site | FAW | 3 days |
| The lead first aider anywhere | FAW | 3 days |
| A nursery, pre-school, childminder or school | Paediatric First Aid | 1–2 days |
| A care home or supported living service | FAW | 3 days |
| A cafe, restaurant or food business | EFAW plus food safety | Separate duties |
| Renewing a current FAW certificate | FAW Requalification | 2 days |
| An individual wanting to learn | An open EFAW place | 1 day |
Which first aid course do I need?
There is no official list that tells you “a business like yours must do this course”. Under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, every employer must provide first aid equipment, facilities and people that are adequate and appropriate for their own circumstances — and you work out what that means by carrying out a first aid needs assessment.
In practice, most assessments land on one of these:
- Offices, shops, salons, small professional firms — lower hazard, usually EFAW (1 day).
- Manufacturing, warehousing, construction, engineering, anywhere with machinery or hazardous substances — higher hazard, usually FAW (3 days).
- Nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, out-of-school clubs — Paediatric First Aid. Early years providers in England have their own requirements under the Department for Education’s Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework, so check that rather than the workplace regulations.
- Catering and food businesses also need food hygiene training alongside first aid — they are separate legal duties and one does not cover the other.
If you are genuinely unsure, phone us on 0845 838 4643. We would rather tell you that one person on a one-day course is enough than sell you three days you do not need.
The full comparison, including the syllabus for each: 1 day or 3 days?
How many first aiders does my workplace need?
HSE does not publish a ratio. Its guidance is explicit: “There are no hard and fast rules on exact numbers and you will need to take into account all the relevant circumstances of your particular workplace.”
The things your needs assessment should weigh up are the hazards and risks on site, how many people you employ, whether the site is spread across floors or buildings, shift and out-of-hours working, lone and travelling workers, and how far you are from emergency services.
Two points employers routinely miss:
- If your assessment concludes you do not need a trained first aider, you must still appoint a person to take charge of first aid arrangements, look after the first aid box and call the emergency services. An appointed person needs no formal training.
- Your cover has to hold up when people are on leave or off sick. One qualified first aider is not cover — it is a single point of failure.
The full method: how many first aiders does my workplace need?
Open courses or a group course?
This is the question that decides your cost.
| People to train | Cheaper option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Open course places | Priced per person; no minimum |
| 4–12 | Group course at your premises | Priced per course, not per head; no travel time lost |
| 12+ | Multiple group courses | 12 is the practical maximum per session |
Group courses are the reason we cover such a wide area: if you are in Oldham or Stockport and want your own team trained, we come to you. It also means the scenarios can use your own workplace, layout and equipment, which makes the training noticeably more relevant than a generic classroom session.
First aid courses you can book now
These are our current first aid qualifications. Prices for open courses are per person; group courses are priced per course.
Deals
First Aid at Work Courses
Emergency First Aid at Work Group Course
£495.00 Excluding Vat
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Emergency First Aid Open Course
£85.00 Excluding Vat
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First Aid at Work Group Course
Price range: £945.00 through £1,145.00 Excluding Vat
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First Aid at Work Open Course
£165.00 Excluding Vat
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First Aid at Work ReQual Open Course
£95.00 Excluding Vat
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Paediatric First Aid Group Course
Price range: £650.00 through £750.00 Excluding Vat
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Paediatric First Aid Open Course
£105.00 Excluding Vat
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What about mental health?
Mental Health First Aid is not required by the first aid regulations, and we will not pretend otherwise. What is a legal duty is assessing the risk of work-related stress and acting on it. Employers across Greater Manchester increasingly train mental health first aiders as part of that response — see our Mental Health First Aid courses, or the honest legal position if that is on your list.
Renewing a certificate that is running out
Workplace first aid certificates last three years. Book the renewal before the expiry date: if a FAW certificate lapses, the shorter two-day requalification route may no longer be open to you and you can end up repeating the full three-day course.
HSE strongly recommends annual refresher training during those three years to stop skills fading. It is a recommendation, not a legal requirement — some providers present annual refreshers as compulsory, and that is not what the guidance says. See how long does a first aid certificate last?
Choosing a provider in Greater Manchester
HSE stopped approving first aid training providers in October 2013, so checking one is now your job rather than theirs. Ask which awarding organisation stands behind the certificate, who the individual trainer will be, how many learners will be in the room, and what the price actually includes. Our full checklist: how to choose a first aid training provider.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. We are based in Bolton and cover the whole of Greater Manchester. Open courses run at our training venues; group courses are delivered at your own premises anywhere in the region. Call us for the next available dates in your area.Do you run first aid courses in Manchester, Bolton, Wigan, Oldham and Stockport?
It depends on the course and on whether you book open places or a group course. Open courses are priced per person and group courses per course for up to 12 people, which is why groups of four or more are usually cheaper trained together. Current prices are shown on each course above.How much does a first aid course cost?
For many lower-hazard workplaces — offices, shops, small professional firms — Emergency First Aid at Work is the course the needs assessment points to. Higher-hazard workplaces normally need the three-day First Aid at Work course instead. The deciding factor is your own first aid needs assessment, not the size of your business.Is a one-day first aid course enough?
Three years from the date of the course, for EFAW, FAW and Paediatric First Aid alike. To stay qualified, complete a requalification course before the certificate expires.How long is a first aid certificate valid in the UK?
No. HSE stopped approving first aid training providers in October 2013. Employers are now responsible for checking that the provider they choose is competent — look at trainer qualifications, the awarding organisation behind the certificate, and quality assurance arrangements.Does HSE approve first aid training providers?
The Regulations require first aid provision for your employees. HSE strongly recommends that employers also consider non-employees such as visitors, contractors and members of the public when assessing their needs — and for anywhere with public footfall, that is the sensible reading.Do I need first aid cover for visitors and customers?
Yes. Group courses are delivered at your site for up to 12 people, priced per course rather than per person. We cover Greater Manchester and the wider North West, and the scenarios can use your own environment and equipment.Can you train our team at our own premises?
It depends on availability and on the time of year, but tell us your dates and we will tell you honestly what we can do. If a certificate is close to expiring, say so when you call — that changes the priority.How quickly can you run a course?
Talk it through with us
If you tell us what your workplace does and how many people are on site, we will tell you what provision is proportionate and what it costs. Call 0845 838 4643 or use the enquiry form on this page.
Book this training for your team
On-site anywhere in the UK, open courses, or online — accredited and delivered by experienced trainers.