Complete First Aid

02/03/2026

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.

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01/03/2026

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27/02/2026

Headaches
Most headaches aren’t serious and usually settle without treatment. Some people can get them for no specific reason, but sometimes they occur following a specific cause. Some headaches can be a sign of more serious conditions, such as meningitis, stroke, or as a result of a head injury.
Possible causes:
• an illness such as flu
• dehydration
• stress or tiredness
• exposure to extremely hot or cold temperatures
• excess alcohol, or other drug use.
What to do
• If someone has a headache, help them to sit or lie down somewhere quiet, and give them a cold compress to hold against their head.
• If the casualty is an adult, you can suggest they take the recommended dose of pain killers, like paracetamol tablets. If the casualty is a child, you can give them the recommended dose of paracetamol syrup.
• Do not give aspirin to anyone under the age of 16 or anyone who is known to be allergic.
Seek medical advice if the casualty:
• does not improve
• develops a severe and incapacitating pain
• has a pain accompanied by fever or vomiting?
• has a pain accompanied by loss of strength or sensation, or by impaired level of response as this could indicate early signs of a stroke
• has a pain as a result of a head injury
• has a pain accompanied by a stiff neck and sensitivity to light; this could indicate that the casualty has meningitis.

26/02/2026

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.

25/02/2026

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.

24/02/2026

Heart attack
A heart attack happens when the supply of blood to part of the heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot. You can make a full recovery following a heart attack, but this may depend on how much of the heart is affected.
Someone having a heart attack may:
• have crushing pain in the centre of their chest, that may spread to their jaw, and down one or both arms.
• be breathless or gasping for breath.
• be sweating profusely.
• experience pain similar to indigestion.
• collapse without warning.
• complain of dizziness.
• have pale skin and their lips may have a blue tinge .
• have a rapid, weak or irregular pulse.
• have a feeling of impending doom.
What to do
• Call 999 or 112 for emergency help straight away and tell them you think someone is having a heart attack.
• Help move the casualty into a comfortable position. The best position is on the floor, with their knees bent and their head and shoulders supported.
• You could place cushions behind them or under their knees.
• Give them one aspirin tablet (300mg) and ask them to chew it slowly.
• Do not give aspirin to the casualty if they are under 16 or if they are allergic to it.
• Ask the casualty to take their own angina medication if they have some.
• Keep monitoring the casualty’s level of response until emergency help arrives.
• If they become unresponsive at any point, prepare to start CPR.

23/02/2026

Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when someone loses fluid from the body and does not replace it. If untreated, someone with dehydration can develop heat exhaustion.
Possible causes include:
• excess sweating during exercise
• too much exposure to the sun or humid conditions
• sweating from a raised body temperature. For example, a fever
• loss of fluid from severe diarrhoea and vomiting.
Look for:
• a headache or light-headedness
• dizziness or confusion
• a dry mouth and dry eyes
• dry or cracked lips
• reduced amounts of dark urine
• muscle cramps, such as to the calves.
Special attention should be paid to babies and young children as they may also have pale skin with sunken eyes and can deteriorate very quickly.
What to do
• Reassure the casualty and help them to sit down.
• Give them plenty of water. You can also use an oral rehydration solution. These can help to replace fluid as well as the correct salt and other minerals they’ve lost.
• Do not mix regular cooking salt into water and give it to the casualty, this will make the condition worse.
• If they have any painful cramps, encourage them to rest. Help them to stretch and massage the muscles that are affected.
• Monitor the casualty’s level of response.
• If the casualty appears to be unwell, seek medical advice.

21/02/2026

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.

20/02/2026

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.

19/02/2026

Mumps
Mumps is a contagious viral infection that was common in children before the Mumps, Measles and Rubella (MMR) vaccine was introduced in 1988. Mumps usually passes without causing serious damage to a person’s health.

It is spread by breathing in infected droplets of saliva or from contaminated surfaces transferred into the mouth or nose.

Look for:
• painful swelling at the side of the face under the ears
• a high temperature
• headaches
• joint pain.
What to do
• If you think someone has mumps, seek medical advice straight away.
• Advise the casualty to take the recommended dose of painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
• Never give aspirin to a child under 16 years old.
• Apply a warm or cold compress to swollen glands to help relieve the pain.
It is important to prevent the infection spreading in the few days before and after the symptoms develop by:
• regularly washing your hands with soap
• disposing of used tissues.
• Advise the casualty to stay off work or school for at least 5 days after the first symptoms appear.

18/02/2026

Sepsis in babies and young children
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition. It can lead to multiple organ failure and possibly death.
Sepsis is caused by the way the body responds to an infection. The infection can occur anywhere, from chest or urinary infections, or problems in the abdomen like burst ulcers, or even simple skin injuries like cuts and bites. Sepsis is sometimes called septicaemia or blood poisoning.

It is a life-threatening condition which makes the immune system go into overdrive as it tries to fight the infection. This can reduce the blood supply to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys, eventually leading to multiple organ failure and possibly death.

In babies and young children, look for:

• Not feeding
• Vomiting repeatedly
• Passing no urine over the past 12 hours
• Skin is mottled, discoloured, blue, or pale
• A rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it
• Has a ‘fit’, or seizure
• Severe breathlessness or breathing rapidly
• Not responding or handling as they normally do
• The child being lethargic and/or hard to wake
• Feels abnormally cold to touch.
• They may not have all of these symptoms.
What to do
• If a baby or young child is unwell and you think they have one or more symptoms of sepsis, do not wait call 999 or 112 for emergency help straight away.
• While you’re waiting for help to arrive, reassure them and keep them comfortable.
• Cover them with a blanket if they feel cold.
• Monitor their level of response.