Best online first aid courses in the UK: which one fits your need

First aid knowledge or a workplace first aider: what HSE says

Every employer has to make first aid arrangements. HSE says the law applies to every workplace and to the self employed. What those arrangements look like is for the employer to decide: "HSE cannot tell you what provision you should make for first aid." Instead, the employer assesses its first aid needs, looking at the type of work, the hazards and likely risk of harm, the size of the workforce, work patterns, cover for holidays and absences, and its history of accidents. The assessment then points to one of these arrangements:

• An appointed person and a first aid box. HSE says some small low risk workplaces need only a first aid box and a person appointed to take charge of the first aid arrangements, such as calling the emergency services and stocking the box. HSE says appointed persons "don't need to have any formal training", and its FAQs add that emergency first aid training courses are available.
• Trained first aiders. "If your workplace has more significant health and safety risks, for example you use machinery or hazardous materials", HSE says you are more likely to need a trained first aider. HSE describes a first aider as someone trained by a competent first aid training provider in first aid at work, emergency first aid at work, "or some other appropriate level of training (identified by your needs assessment)."

HSE describes the two named levels this way. Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW): "qualified to give emergency first aid to someone who is injured or becomes ill while at work". First Aid at Work (FAW): "qualified to EFAW level but can also apply first aid to a range of specific injuries and illnesses". HSE's FAQs refer to the one day EFAW course and the three day FAW course.

Two more points from HSE help when you choose a provider. "The only first aid training HSE approves is for specialists on offshore installations." And the employer checks the trainer: "You're responsible for making sure whoever trains your employees is competent." HSE lists four types of provider: regulated qualifications, voluntary approval schemes, independent training where the provider can show its competence, and the three Voluntary Aid Societies recognised by the government (St John Ambulance, British Red Cross and St Andrew's First Aid).

On refreshers, HSE says to "Keep training up to date with regular refresher courses." Asked whether annual refresher training is mandatory, its answer is "No. It is strongly recommended to employers to help trained first aiders maintain their basic skills".

Online first aid courses compared

Lift College is listed first. Each provider's details are from its own course page; where a page does not state a fact, the table says Check provider.

Lift College details are from liftcollege.co.uk on 17 October 2026. Prices change, so check each provider before you buy. High Speed Training's page says its course is best suited to low hazard workplaces, such as offices, shops and restaurants, and tells readers to check their workplace's first aid needs assessment for whether practical training is needed. ProTrainings says its online Part 1 is the first part of its complete 6 hour EFAW qualification.

Which course fits which need

You want to know what to do in an emergency at work. Lift College's First Aid Training suits every employee, in any workplace: people in offices, shops, warehouses and schools, staff who serve the public, people who work alone or where an ambulance may take time to arrive, and team leaders who want to understand first aid arrangements at work. It covers checking a casualty, calling 999, CPR at 100 to 120 compressions a minute, using a defibrillator, choking, bleeding, shock, burns, seizures, strokes and other medical emergencies. Our guide to first aid training online in the UK walks through each module.

You are the appointed person. HSE says you need no formal first aid training to take charge of the arrangements. The first module of Lift's course covers how first aid is organised in your workplace and what your employer must provide.

Your needs assessment says you are to be a first aider. Ask your employer which level the assessment names: FAW, EFAW or another appropriate level of training. ProTrainings sells EFAW with an online Part 1 and a practical Part 2 with a trainer, and your employer checks that the provider is competent.

You look after people with allergies. Anaphylaxis Training is 1 hour in 5 modules for school staff, food businesses and carers, covering how to recognise anaphylaxis and use an adrenaline auto injector. See our anaphylaxis training guide.

You use medical gases at work. Medical Gas Safety Training is 2 hours in 6 modules for nurses, healthcare assistants, porters and care staff, written around HTM 02-01. It is written for people who use medical gases, not for those who maintain pipeline systems. See our medical gas safety training guide.

All three are £19.99 pay once, with 14-day money back and a free refresher every 12 months. Browse them together on the first aid and medical courses page.

Buying first aid training for a team

A free Lift College organisation account takes 15% off every course for every person, so each CPD course is £16.99. There is no account fee and no minimum. You pay by card, or by invoice on 30 day terms with your own PO number, and you can follow each learner's progress and download a progress report that opens in Excel.

Training your team? Open a free organisation account and every first aid and medical course is £16.99 a person.