"A two-year-old girl has made an almost complete recovery after spending nearly 20 minutes at the bottom of a pool.

Scans showed Oluchi Nwaubani had been starved of oxygen for some 18 minutes - three times longer than the brain can usually survive - in Bromley, London.

Despite being warned that even if she were to live she may never walk or talk again, her parents say she can run around and say "what she wants". "

To read the full BBC article click here.

With the Health and Safety Executives [HSE] confirmation of the 1 October 2009 "switchover" in first aid training, employers and training providers are understandably seeking practical guidance on their requirements.

Fuller details are scheduled to be released in April, but we contacted the HSE direct and received a much needed insight into the plans.

Emphasis will rest on the employer's own assessment of their particular needs; this assessment should consider, numbers of staff, work being undertaken, past history of incidents, proximity of medical services etc.

If it is decided a First Aider is need then two courses will be on offer; the First Aid at Work and the Emergency First Aid at Work course. These are 18 & 6 hours respectively, both leading to a qualification valid for three years. It is recommended that the individuals attend a short [approx 3 hour] refresher session on an annual basis.

If it is decided a First Aider is not required then an appointed person must be nominated.

The attached file is a simple flowchart confirming this structure, this is unlikely to change. Further guidance should be issued by the HSE giving "benchmark" figures to assist workplaces in deciding on which courses, similar to the existing template reproduced here.