Advance Notice: Introduction of Life-Threatening Bleeding Treatment Assessment in STA First Aid and Lifesaving Qualifications
Posted on 5th October 2026
Following the:
- Release of the First Aid Quality Partnership (FAQP) position statement on Life-Threatening Bleeding;
- Subsequent technical notice released by STA in January 2025;
- Publication of the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines in October 2025 and;
- Implementation of the updated RCUK 2025 Resuscitation Guidelines within STA First Aid and Lifesaving Qualifications from April 2026;
The First Aid Awarding Organisation Forum (FAAOF), of which STA are members, have now reviewed the qualification assessment criteria relating to the treatment of external bleeding.
From 31st March 2027, training and assessment of the assessment criteria: ‘Demonstrate how to administer first aid to a casualty with external bleeding’ must include:
- Wound packing (including improvised)
- Manufactured tourniquet application
- Improvised tourniquet application.
To support tutors / assessors who may require additional training to teach / assess these elements, the STA First Aid: Management of Life-threatening Bleeding CPD is available free of charge on the STA Swim-Shop.
The online programme is aimed at STA First Aid / Lifesaving tutors to provide additional information on the management of life-threatening bleeding and covers:
- First Aid Skills
- The Cardiovascular System
- Casualty Assessment
- Wounds and Bleeding
- Life-Threatening Bleeding
- Haemostatic Agents
- Tourniquets
- Penetrating Chest Injury / Collapsed Lung
- Internal Bleeding
- Shock.
In addition, STA are pleased to provide a practical workshop at this year’s STA Conference.
In order to facilitate the introduction of life-threatening bleeding treatment assessment in first aid qualifications, Approved Training Centres (ATCs), Tutors and Assessors should ensure they have sufficient training aids available to enable learners to practise the application of manufactured tourniquets, improvised windlass tourniquets and wound packing. This should include appropriate training tourniquets, triangular bandages or equivalent materials for improvised windlass techniques, wound-packing training materials and suitable training limbs or simulators.
Training aids to support delivery and assessment of the treatment of life-threatening bleeding are available to purchase from the STA Swim-Shop.
There will be no immediate changes to STA First Aid and Lifesaving Qualification Assessments.
This gives tutors and ATCs time to adjust to the new additional skills to be taught and assessed, acquire relevant training equipment and manage the upskilling of tutors if needed.
The assessment of life-threatening bleeding treatment will become mandatory for the following STA first aid and lifesaving qualifications from 31st March 2027:
STA will provide a further update prior to mandatory implementation in March 2027.
If you have any questions regarding this notice, please do not hesitate to contact us.