Complete First Aid

09/12/2025

Bruises
Bruises occur when an injury causes blood to leak into the skin or tissues beneath the skin. They may not appear straight away, but the skin can still be painful and often feel tender at first. Elderly people and those taking anticoagulant (anti-clotting) drugs can bruise easily.
What to do
• Raise and support the injured part in a comfortable position.
• Hold something cold against the injury to help reduce the swelling, like an ice pack or a frozen bag of vegetables wrapped in a tea towel for at least 20 minutes.

08/12/2025

Fainting
Fainting is when someone briefly becomes unresponsive because there is not enough blood flowing to the brain. People often faint as a reaction to pain, exhaustion, hunger, or emotional stress. When someone faints, their pulse will slow down but usually picks up and returns to normal soon afterwards. If someone who’s fainted and continues to be unresponsive after a few minutes, then this could be more serious.
Look for:
• a brief period of unresponsiveness, often causing them to fall to the ground
• slow pulse
• pale, cold skin
• sweating.
What to do
• Ask them to lie down.
• Check for other injuries. They may have hurt themselves falling down, so look for head injuries and any other wounds. Treat as appropriate.
• Kneel down next to them and raise their legs, supporting their ankles on your shoulders to help blood flow back to the brain.
• Make sure that they have plenty of fresh air. Ask other people to move away and if you’re inside then ask someone to open a window.
• Reassure the casualty and help them to sit up slowly.
• If they begin to feel faint again, lie them down again.
• If they stay unresponsive, open their airway, check their breathing and prepare to treat someone who is unresponsive.

07/12/2025

Tip of the Day: With a chemical burn from a powdered substance, brush as much of the powder off as possible but be careful where the powder goes and that it may be

06/12/2025

Tip of the Day: If someone has a seizure try and put something soft underneath their head but don’t restrain them. Time how long the seizure lasts. If the seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes this can be very serious. Call 999 immediately.

05/12/2025

Eye injuries - chemical burns
Splashes of chemical substances to the eye can cause a serious injury if not treated quickly. These may occur with household products and in the workplace. Some chemicals can damage the surface of the eye and result in scarring or even blindness.
You will need to wash out the eye straight away to dilute and disperse the chemical. Make sure the contaminated water does not splash you or the casualty. If they are available, put on gloves to protect yourself before treating the casualty.

Look for:
• intense pain in the eye
• inability to open the injured eye
• redness and swelling around the eye
• a significant amount of watering of the eye
• chemical substances near the casualty.
What to do
• Put on protective gloves if they’re available. Hold the casualty’s eye under gently running water for at least 20 minutes and make sure the outside and inside of the eyelid is washed.
• If the casualty’s eye is shut due to pain, gently but firmly open it so it can be washed out.
• Make sure the contaminated water does not splash the uninjured eye, you or the casualty.
• If the casualty is wearing contact lenses, ask them to remove them if they can.
• Ask the casualty to hold a clean non-fluffy pad over the injured eye and bandage in place.
• Call 999 or 112. If you know what chemicals might have been involved in the accident, pass this information on to the medical professionals.

04/12/2025

Hypothermia
Hypothermia can become life-threatening quickly, so it’s important to treat someone with hypothermia straight away. Hypothermia is a condition that occurs when someone’s body temperature drops below 35°C (95°F). Normal body temperature is around 37°C (98. 6°F). Hypothermia can become life-threatening quickly, so it’s important to treat someone with hypothermia straight away.
Look for:
• shivering, cold and pale with dry skin
• unusually tired, confused and have irrational behaviour
• reduced level of response
• slow and shallow breathing
• slow and weakening pulse.
What to do
• If the casualty is outside, try to get them indoors. If you are unable to get them indoors, try to take them to a sheltered place as quickly as possible, shielding the casualty from the wind.
• Remove and replace any wet clothing and make sure their head is covered.
• Do not give them your clothes - it is important for you to stay warm yourself.
• Try to protect the casualty from the ground. Lay them on a thick layer of dry, insulating material such as pine branches, heather, or bracken. If possible put them in a dry sleeping bag and/or cover them with blankets. If available, wrap them in a foil survival blanket. You can use your body to shelter them and keep them warm.
• Call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
• Do not leave the casualty alone. Somebody must be with them at all times. If you are in a remote area and cannot call for emergency help, send two people to get help together.
• If the casualty is fully alert, offer them warm drinks and high energy food such as chocolate.
• Monitor their breathing, level of response and temperature while waiting for help to arrive.

• If you are indoors, cover the casualty with layers of blankets and warm the room to about 25°C (77°F).
• Do not place any direct heat such as hot water bottles or fires near a casualty as they may cause burns.
• Give them something warm to drink, like soup, and/or high-energy food, like chocolate.
• Do not give the casualty alcohol in an attempt to warm them, it will make hypothermia worse.
• Seek medical advice. Hypothermia could be disguising a more serious illness such as a stroke, heart attack or an underactive thyroid gland.
• Monitor their breathing, level of response and temperature until they recover.

03/12/2025

Frostbite
Frostbite happens when part of the skin and other tissues freeze due to low temperatures. It can lead to loss of sensation and eventually tissue death and gangrene. This usually happens when exposed to freezing cold temperatures and windy weather.
Look for:
• ‘pins and needles’
• paleness of the area and numbness
• hardened and stiffened skin
• colour change to the skin. The skin may change from white to mottled and blue. On recovery, the skin may be red, hot, painful and blistered. When gangrene occurs, the skin may become black due to the loss of blood supply.
What to do
• Help move the casualty indoors or to somewhere warm.
• Once inside, gently remove any constricting rings, gloves, boots or any other constricting items.
• Next, warm the affected part with your hands, in your lap.
• Do not rub the area as this could damage their skin.
• Do not place the affected part of the body on to direct heat.
• Place the affected part into warm but not hot water – around 40°C. Dry the area carefully and put on a light dressing, ideally a gauze bandage from your first aid kit.
Once you’ve done that, help them to raise the affected part to reduce swelling. If the casualty is an adult, you can suggest they take the recommended dose of paracetamol tablets. If the casualty is a child, you can give them the recommended dose of paracetamol syrup.
Take or send them to hospital.

02/12/2025

How to put a child in the recovery position
If a child is not responding to you but breathing normally, it’s safe to put them in the recovery position. When a child is in the recovery position their airway is kept open and any vomit would drain away without interfering with their breathing.

What to do
If you find a child collapsed, you should first perform a primary survey. If this establishes that they are unresponsive but breathing, put them in the recovery position.

• Kneel by the child and straighten their legs.
• If they are wearing glasses, or have any bulky items in their pockets, remove them.
• Place the arm that is nearest to you at a right angle to their body, with the elbow bent and their palm facing upwards.
• Bring their other arm across their chest and place the back of their hand against the cheek nearest to you and hold it there.
• With your other hand, pull their far knee up so that their foot is flat on the floor.
• Keeping the back of the child’s hand pressed against their cheek, pull on the far leg to roll the child towards you on to their side. You can then adjust the top leg so that it is bent at a right angle.
• You then need to gently tilt the child’s head back and lift their chin to make sure their airway stays open. You can adjust the hand under their cheek to help keep the airway open.
• Call 999/112 for emergency help if it hasn’t already been done. Monitor their level of response while waiting for help to arrive.
• If they remain in the recovery position for 30 minutes, roll them into the recovery position on the other side.

01/12/2025

Severe burns - adult
Burns and scalds are caused by damage to the skin when it comes in contact with heat. Your priority is to cool the burn as quickly as possible. If someone has a severe burn they may develop shock which is a life-threatening condition. They will need to get to emergency help as soon as possible.
Look for:
• pain
• areas of superficial, partial thickness and/or full thickness burns
o Superficial burns affect the outer layer of the skin and may look red and tender.
o Partial thickness burns also affect the outer layer of the skin, but the skin becomes red and raw, and blisters may form.
o A full thickness burn affects all layers of the skin and can cause damage to nerves, tissues, muscles and blood vessels.
• difficulty breathing
• signs of shock.
What to do
• Start cooling the burn as quickly as possible with cool running water. Help the casualty to sit or lie down, preventing the burnt area from touching the ground to keep it clean.
• Call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
• Continue cooling the area for at least 20 minutes or until the pain feels better.
• Do not over cool the casualty in case you lower their body temperature to a dangerous level, causing hypothermia. This can be more serious in the elderly and babies.
• Do not touch the burn. Carefully remove any jewellery, watches, belts, shoes or burnt clothing before the area begins to swell.
• Do not remove any clothing that is stuck to the burn.
• If there is someone else available to assist you, they can do this while you continue to cool the burn.
• When the burn has cooled, cover the area loosely with cling film. Discard the first two turns of the cling film, and then apply a new piece lengthways over the burn.
• If the burn is to a hand or foot you could use a clean plastic bag.
• If there is no cling film you could use a sterile dressing or non-fluffy material such as a triangular bandage.
• Secure with a bandage or adhesive tape but not to the damaged skin.
• While waiting for help reassure them and treat them for shock if necessary. Monitor level of response.

30/11/2025

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29/11/2025

If your baby bumps their head
When your baby starts to crawl, they can bump their head on furniture or other objects and when starting to walk they may be unsteady and fall. Most of the time the injury will be minor, and they might not even cry, but sometimes a bump on the head can be more serious.
Look for:
• bump or bruise to the head
• possible head wound
• dizziness or vomiting
• short period of unresponsiveness.
If you think your baby has a minor head injury sit them on your lap and hold something cold against the injury to help reduce the swelling, like an ice pack or a frozen bag of vegetables wrapped in a tea towel.
While you do this try to assess the baby’s level of response using the AVPU scale.

• A – Are they alert? Are their eyes open?
• V – Can they respond to you if you talk to them?
• P – Does the baby respond to pain? If you flick the bottom of their foot, or pinch their ear lobe, do they respond to you by moving or opening their eyes?
• U – Are they unresponsive to all of the above? If they are unresponsive or you are worried, call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
If they have any wounds, treat them by applying direct pressure to the wound.
Keep checking the baby’s level of response until they’ve recovered, or medical help arrives.

28/11/2025

Traffic Accidents

Traffic accidents can range between minor incidents such as a bicycle crash or much more serious incidents like a vehicle crash. It is crucial that the incident area is safe before you help any casualties. This is so that you, the casualties and other road users are protected.
Once you know the area is safe, quickly assess the casualties and prioritise treatment. Give first aid to anyone with life threatening injuries first before tending to other casualties.
Call 999 or 112 for emergency help and give as much detail about the incident as possible such as number and age of casualties and types of injury.