Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a (a) national standard and (b) mutual recognition framework for First Aid training across NHS trusts.

Due to the number of professional clinicians working across the National Health Service, first aid training is not a requirement for NHS staff and is only relevant in settings where clinicians do not work.

The mutual recognition agreement, signed by 262 NHS organisations across England, covers all Core Skills Training Framework Subjects, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Additionally, the Statutory and Mandatory e-learning programme includes four resuscitation sessions which are freely available to all health and social care staff.