Complete First Aid

23/03/2026

Emergency First Aid at Work Course Chelmsford. Stay compliant! We offer the best value first aid courses in Essex. Our next EFAW course is on Monday 20th April in Galleywood, in Chelmsford. Only £85. Easy access from the A12 and free parking.
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16/03/2026

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

If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

Complete First Aid offers a comprehensive programme of Workplace Regulated First Aid Courses at venues across Essex.

15/03/2026

Seizures in babies
A seizure can also be known as a convulsion or fit. In babies, seizures are usually caused by a raised body temperature, often following an infection. This type of seizure, known as a febrile seizure, occurs because the brain is not mature enough to cope with the body’s high temperature.

Look for:
• loss of or lack of a response
• vigorous shaking, with clenched fists and an arched back
• signs of a fever, with hot, flushed skin and sweating
• twitching of the face
• squinting, fixed or rolled back eyes
• breath holding with a red face and neck
• drooling at the mouth
• vomiting
• loss of bladder or bowel control.
What to do
• Clear any objects away from around the baby that could be dangerous. Then place pillows or soft padding, such as rolled up towels around the baby. This will help to protect them from injuring themselves while having the seizure.
• Do not restrain the baby or move them unless they are in immediate danger.
• Do not put anything in their mouth.
• Try to cool the baby down. Take off any bedding and clothes such as a t-shirt to help cool them. You might need to wait for the seizure to stop to do this. Make sure there is fresh air circulating but be careful not to overcool the baby.
• When the seizure has stopped, place the baby in the recovery position to keep the airway open. You then need to call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
• While you wait for help to arrive, try to keep the baby calm and monitor their level of response.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

Complete First Aid offers a comprehensive programme of Workplace Regulated First Aid Courses at venues across Essex.

13/03/2026

Anaesthetic drug poisoning
Poisons are chemicals or substances that if taken or absorbed into the body in sufficient quantities can cause temporary or permanent damage. The effects will be different depending on the type, quantity and combination of drug taken, as well as how the person has taken it, such as swallowing, inhaling or injecting.

If someone has been poisoned by anaesthetic, such as ketamine, they may have:

• hallucinations
• shallow breathing
• drowsiness.
What to do
• If the person is responsive, help them into a comfortable position and ask them what they’ve taken.
• Try to reassure them.
• Call 999 or 112 for emergency medical help. Tell them that you suspect drug poisoning.
• Keep checking their breathing, pulse, and level of response.
• Do not try to make them vomit. If they do vomit, then put some of this into a bag or container and give it to the healthcare professionals. This may help them identify the drug or substance.
• If they become unresponsive, open their airway, check their breathing, and prepare to treat someone who’s become unresponsive.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

12/03/2026

Severe bleeding in babies
Sometimes, babies that are crawling can cut themselves in a way that causes severe bleeding. When bleeding is severe, it can be dramatic and distressing, but it is important that the wound is dealt with quickly. Your priority is to stop the bleeding.

What to do
• With open wounds, there’s a risk of infection, so wear protective first aid gloves (if available) to help prevent any infection passing between you and the baby.
• Apply direct pressure to the wound using a sterile dressing if possible or a clean non-fluffy cloth, to stop the bleeding.
• If the wound is covered by the baby’s clothing, uncover it by removing or cutting the clothes.
• If there’s an object in the wound, don’t pull it out. It may be acting as a plug to reduce the bleeding. Instead apply pressure on either side of the object to push the edges together.
• Ask a helper to call 999 or 112 for emergency help and give ambulance control details of where the wound is and the extent of the bleeding.
• Firmly secure the dressing with a bandage to maintain pressure on the wound. Make it firm enough to maintain pressure but not so tight that it restricts their circulation.
• Check their circulation beyond the bandage. Press one of the nails or the skin beyond the bandage for five seconds until it turns pale, then release the pressure. If the colour does not return within two seconds, the bandage is too tight. If necessary, loosen and reapply the bandage.
• If blood comes through the dressing, remove it and reapply pressure with a new dressing or pad to control the bleeding. Once the bleed is under control, secure in place with the bandage, tying the knot over the wound to keep the pressure on.
• The loss of blood could cause the baby to develop shock. Treat them for shock by loosening any tight clothing around their chest or waist. Keep them warm by covering their body and legs with a blanket. Cradle them and support their legs.
• Keep monitoring their level of response until help arrives. If they become unresponsive at any point, prepare to start baby CPR.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

11/03/2026

Recovery position for spinal injury
If you suspect someone has a spinal injury and they cannot maintain an open airway, you need to place them in the recovery position.
What to do
If you are alone, place them in the recovery position following the normal technique. Try to keep the head and spine in a straight line where possible while maintaining an open airway.
If you have a helper, one of you should steady the head and maintain an open airway, keeping it in line with the spine while the other turns the casualty into the recovery position following the normal technique.
If there are four or more people, you can use the log roll technique:

• While you support the casualty’s head and neck - maintaining an open airway - ask your helpers to gently straighten the casualty's limbs.
• Position two or three people on one side to roll the casualty towards them, and two people on the other side to help support the casualty as they are rolled.
• The helpers that are preparing to roll the casualty towards them will need to place their hands in the following positions. The person positioned at the legs should place their hands under the furthest leg. The middle helper places one hand under the furthest leg and the other hand on top to support the hip. The third helper supports both arms and shoulders.
• Instruct the helpers to roll the casualty on your count. Keep the casualty’s head, neck, and spine in a straight line at all times while maintaining an open airway.
• Once the casualty has been rolled onto their side, the upper leg should be supported to keep the spine straight. Continue to maintain an open airway, keeping the head, neck, and spine in a straight line until help arrives.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

10/03/2026

Head injuries in babies and children
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.

Minor head injury
Look for:
• bump or bruise to the head
• possible head wound
• dizziness or vomiting
• short period of unresponsiveness.
What to do
• 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.
Severe head injury
Look for:

• drowsiness
• headache
• vomit
• if they suffer a seizure or fit
• unequal pupil size
• blood or blood stained watery fluid coming from the ear or nose
• unresponsiveness.
What to do
• If you know that your baby has had a severe knock to the head or a minor head injury is getting worse, you should call 999 or 112 for emergency help and tell ambulance control that you suspect a serious head injury to your baby.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

09/03/2026

Stroke
A stroke is a medical emergency, and you need to act FAST. A stroke can occur when blood supply to the brain is disrupted and starves the brain of oxygen.
Look for:
• Facial weakness - uneven smile, droopy mouth or eye
• Arm weakness - can they raise both arms?
• Speech problems - can they speak clearly?
What to do
If you suspect someone is having a stroke, use the FAST guide to identify the key signs:

F – stands for facial weakness.
Look at their mouth or eye – they may be droopy, and they can’t smile evenly.
A – arm weakness.
Ask them to raise both of their arms. They may only be able to raise one. Or get the casualty to squeeze both your hands. One hand may squeeze much less than the other.
S - speech problems. They are unable to speak clearly or might not be able to understand what you are saying to them. Ask them a question, such as ‘What is your name?’ Can they respond appropriately?

T – time to call 999/112 for emergency help and tell them you suspect a stroke after using the FAST guide.
• While waiting for help to arrive, keep them comfortable, supported and reassure them.
• Do not give them anything to eat or drink because it may be hard for them to swallow.
• Keep monitoring their level of response until help arrives.
• If they become unresponsive prepare to treat for an unresponsive casualty.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

08/03/2026

Seizures (fits) in adults
In adults, the most common cause of a seizure, also known as a convulsion or fit, is epilepsy. However, it can be caused by other things, including a head injury, alcohol poisoning, lack of oxygen, after taking certain drugs, or if someone with diabetes has a 'hypo' where their blood glucose is too low.

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and can cause repeated seizures, which are often sudden and dramatic.

Look for:
• sudden loss of responsiveness
• a rigid body with an arching back
• noisy, difficult breathing
• grey blue tinge on the lips
• start of jerky uncontrolled movements (uncontrolled)
• saliva at the mouth, possibly blood stained if they have bitten their tongue or lip
• loss of bladder or bowel control.
What to do
• Clear away any potentially dangerous objects
• With any seizure, it is important to first protect the casualty from harming themselves during the fit. Ask any bystanders to stand back and clear away any potentially dangerous objects, like hot drinks or sharp objects.
• Make a note of the time that the seizure started.
• Do not restrain the casualty or move them unless they are in immediate danger.
• Do not put anything in their mouth.
• Protect their head. You could place soft padding underneath it, such as a rolled-up towel. You should also loosen any clothing around their neck.
• When any jerky movements have stopped, open their airway and check their breathing.
• If they are breathing put them in the recovery position.
• Monitor their level of response and make a note of how long the seizure lasted.
• If they become unresponsive at any time, prepare to call 999 or 112 for emergency help and give CPR.
Call 999 or 112 for emergency help if:
• it is the casualty’s first seizure
• they are having repeated seizures
• the cause of the seizure is unknown
• the seizure continues for more than five minutes
• the casualty is unresponsive for more than 10 minutes
• they have an injury on another part of the body.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

07/03/2026

Chickenpox
Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Someone with chickenpox will usually have a high temperature and an itchy rash with red blisters. It is a common disease and mostly affects children.
Look for:
• red spots that can appear anywhere on the body and become itchy, fluid-filled blisters, which may burst and scab over
• a high temperature above 37°C (98.6°F)
• general aches and pains
• loss of appetite
What to do
• If someone has chickenpox, make sure they are comfortable.
• Give them plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
• If the casualty is a child, you could give them an ice lolly to suck.
• You can give the casualty the recommended dose of paracetamol for an adult or the recommended dose of paracetamol syrup for a child.
• Do not give aspirin to anyone under the age of 16.
• If the blisters are very itchy, ask a pharmacist for advice about creams and antihistamines that can be used to help.
To prevent the casualty from itching, you can:
• trim their fingernails
• put socks on their hands at night
• dress them in loose clothing.
Seek medical advice, if:
• the blisters appear to be infected
• you’re worried that they are getting worse.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

06/03/2026

How to put a baby in the recovery position
• If a baby is not responding to you but breathing normally, it’s safe to put them in the recovery position to keep the airway open and to prevent them from choking.
• What to do
• If the baby is not responding to you, first perform a primary survey. If this establishes that they are unresponsive but breathing, put them in the recovery position.
• Cradle the baby in your arms, with their head tilted downwards to prevent them from choking or inhaling vomit.
• Call 999 or 112 for emergency help and monitor their level of response until help arrives.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.

05/03/2026

Scarlet fever in babies
Scarlet fever is an infection that causes a blotchy, pink-red rash. It’s most common in young children but can affect people of any age. It’s not usually serious and can be treated with antibiotics from your GP. Once the baby has had it, they are unlikely to get it again.
Look for:
• a sore throat
• headache
• a high temperature
• swollen neck glands.
As the fever develops they may have:

• a rash on the body
• a red face
• a white or red tongue.
What to do
• If your baby develops any of the above symptoms seek medical advice straight away.
If you want to know more about first aid or would like to attend one of our first aid courses why not check out our website www.completefirstaid.org or contact us at hello@completefirstaid.org or 07907 488 958.