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First Aider Payments

I would like your help with benchmarking First Aiders payments.

We currently pay our qualified first aiders and mental health first aiders an annual amount of £100. 

Do you think this amount is acceptable?  Do you think this should be increased?   

I'd like to hear your thoughts / comments

Thanks

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  • This isn't something that we offer our staff. All staff are offered the opportunity of the training which the organisation pays for. I'd be interested to know why your organisation pays employees an additional fee for holding this qualification.
  • Hi Narina

    My query would be - why are you paying your first aiders? You already pay for their training (a qualification they could use elsewhere) provide them with equipment and time to carry out their duties. Do you struggle to recruit first aiders?

    We got asked this once in a previous business about paying an 'allowance' - as we had so many volunteers that wanted to do it, we never found it necessary!

    Also, as a pre-hospital clinician myself and a first aid trainer, those that want to be a first aider (as opposed to doing it for £100 a year) tend to be better!
  • Hi Narina
    We pay our first aiders a similar amount. I think it’s historical. Interestingly, we don’t pay our mental health first aiders ... that’s more like Sam suggests - those who want to do it do do with no payment- but not as many required.
    Liza
  • Hi Narina, if you get a chance please do a quick search for this topic as there will be some historic threads to help you. £100 sounds quite generous to me but happy to be corrected.
  • In reply to Liza Palmer:

    If one googles something like ‘ first aider honorarium’ much useful data will result from which a typical amount (via normal payroll) is maybe between one and two hundred pounds per annum.
  • In my previous company we paid our first aides £100, we never had an issue with recruiting them and I suspect it was for historical reasons. We paid for their training and various other training courses specific to their roles too.
  • Hi Narina, I was looking this topic up as we are, now and specifically since Covid-19, finding few people are willing to become or continue to be first aiders. We don't offer an additional allowance at the moment, but in previous organisations I have known £150 to be paid in 12 equal installments throughout the year. I think we may have to reconsider it, as we are struggling for volunteers and getting some very clear refusals in some areas (despite no shortage of PPE, all training being paid and supported, and an incredibly low incidence rate).
  • In reply to Helen:

    It’s interesting, if it’s hard to find volunteers, if £8.50-£12 a month before tax, is likely to make much difference ...
  • In reply to Keith:

    @Keith
    When I last worked in the UK in 1991, We paid a first aiders' allowance of £150 per year, paid in a lump-sum in two 6 monthly instalments. Payment notification came with a thank-you letter from the GM for taking on these responsibilities. This way receiving £75 every 6 months was more meaningful than receiving £12.50 a month. If people left or ceased to be first-aiders part way through a year we paid pro-rata.
  • In reply to Ray:

    Agree Ray - sometimes we over look the impact in focusing on the detail. The letter from the GM alongside enough ( then) to buy a meal sounds a better idea to me than sweating a small monthly allowance.
  • In reply to Ray:

    I like that approach.
  • In reply to Helen:

    So did I Helen when I discovered that this practice was in place when I joined ! More importantly it was well appreciated.