First Aid

Of course, you never think an accident or emergency is around the corner. But whether you’re dealing with a small scrape or an emergency, having a first aid kit complete with all the essentials can help you step up when needed. … Read More See less

First aid can help to prevent more serious injury and even loss of life.¹ St John’s Ambulance estimated that 140,000 people die each year in the UK from incidents where first aid could have potentially saved their lives.²

So, let’s go through some of our top tips for providing first aid and identify all the essentials for a well-stocked first aid kit. From the best antiseptic cream and cream for burns to bandages, pain relief patches and a variety of different medications.

Pain Relief

Bruising

Bites & Stings

Weight Loss

Mounjaro

High Blood Pressure

Foot Care

Fungal Nail Infections

Diabetes (Type 2)

HIV Prevention

What is first aid and when should it be used?

First aid refers to the immediate action taken to help someone in the event of an accident, injury or illness.^3,4 It can be carried out by a non-medical civilian before professional medical help arrives or it may be use by first responders, such as paramedics or firefighters.^3,4

First aid is meant to reduce suffering, prevent further illness and, potentially, save lives.³ It can range from cleaning and bandaging minor cuts and scrapes to injecting adrenaline in someone with anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) or cooling and wrapping a burn.^3,5

First aid provision is a legal obligation in every workplace in the UK, regardless of the size of the company.⁴

Common non-emergency conditions and symptoms

First aid can be used for a variety of non-emergency incidents, such as:^3,6

Bug, tick bites and stings
Minor allergic reactions
Knocked out (avulsed) teeth
Minor burns, such as sunburns or burns small enough to cover with your hand
Nosebleeds
Minor sprains and strains
Superficial skin wounds, like cuts, scrapes and bruises

Common emergency conditions and symptoms

First aid can also be used to minimise an injury or save lives in emergencies, such as:^1,3

Anaphylaxis (or anaphylactic shock)
Severe bleeding
Severe burns and scalds
Shock
Asthma attacks
Bites from snakes or spiders
Stings from jellyfish and scorpions
Chemical burns to your eyes and skin
Electric shocks
Chest pain or heart attacks
Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)
Choking
Broken bones (fractures)
Head injuries
Dehydration
Fainting or near-fainting
Seizures
Spinal cord injuries
Stroke
Overdoses
Hyperthermia (or heat stroke) or hypothermia (low body temperature)
Drowning
Poisoning
Frostbite

Common skills needed for first aid

Depending on the injury or illness, a first aider may need to use skills such as:^3,5,7

Bandaging wounds
Using autoinjectors
Controlling bleeding by using pressure
Cooling and wrapping burns and scalds
Placing someone in the recovery position (on their side with the arm underneath them placed under their head for support)
Cooling and rehydrating someone with hyperthermia
Warming someone with hypothermia
Rinsing a chemical burn
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cpr), if someone is unconscious
Switching off a power supply, in the case of electric shocks
Helping someone who’s choking (either with backslaps for partial airway blockages or abdominal thrusts)
Removing ticks
Keeping someone still to prevent further pain or damage due to a broken bone
Supporting someone having a heart attack by sitting them down, making them comfortable and giving them aspirin (unless they have an allergy)
Monitoring someone’s vital signs (such as their breathing)
Treating used needle wounds by squeezing the area (to make it bleed) and cleaning it
Finding out which poison has been ingested so you can inform medical professionals
Treating shock by lying someone down, supporting their legs and keeping them warm
Recognising the symptoms of a stroke
Using automated external defibrillators

What to do in an emergency

If someone is injured or unwell, you should:^1,5

Stay calm – take a deep breath and think carefully about what you need to do
Dial 999 for an ambulance – in the case of a life-threatening injury or condition, every second counts
Remember the abcs – airway, breathing and circulation. Check to see their mouth and airway are clear. If they are clear, check for breathing. If they aren’t breathing, start cpr
Carry out basic first aid – do what you can to support them until the ambulance arrives

If someone is unconscious but breathing, and can be moved, place them in the recovery position until the ambulance arrives.^1,5Continue to monitor their breathing.^1,5

If someone is unconscious and not breathing, or stops breathing, call 999 and start CPR as soon as possible.^1,5

First aid kid essentials

There is no set of requirements for what should be included in a first aid box.⁴ However, a first aid box should have as a minimum:^4,8

A leaflet giving general first aid guidance – you may forget what to do in an emergency, so having a visual guide could make a huge difference to someone’s health outcomes
Waterproof plasters of assorted sizes – minor wounds can be cleaned, patted dry and covered with a blister plaster or medical plaster
Wound dressing pads – to cover and protect a wound that is too big for a plaster
Triangular bandages – to tie at the back of the neck and lift a limb, prevent blood loss, or secure a fractured collar bone or hand. These can also be used for sprains and strains if you don’t have any crepe bandages
Crepe bandages – sprained ankles or wrists should be iced to reduce any swelling and then wrapped with a crepe bandage
Safety pins – to help secure a bandage
Tape – also to help keep bandages in place
Disposable gloves – to protect the patient from germs on their first aider’s hands and prevent the first aider from coming into contact with the patient’s blood
Sterile eye pads – if the patient has a foreign object stuck in their eye, you can apply a sterile eye pad to protect the area until they can see a healthcare professional
Tough cut scissors – these can be used to tear through clothing to get to a wound as they will not cut skin
Alcohol-free wipes – to clean wounds if water is not available

Other products that could prepare you for a variety of situations are:^6,9

Hand sanitiser
Antiseptic cream for wounds
Saline wound cleanser
Hydrogen peroxide
Eye drops
Antibiotic ointment
Hydrocortisone cream
Antihistamines
Aspirin
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Ice packs
Tweezers
Thermometer
Face masks
Cotton balls and swabs
Burn cream
Anaesthetic cream or spray, anaesthetic throat spray or emla numbing cream
An autoinjector of epinephrin
Pain relief plasters

Sources

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you treat a burn?

When you suffer a burn, you need to remove any clothing or jewellery near the burnt area of the skin and then cool the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 minutes.

Keep yourself or the person warm, particularly if you’re cooling a large burnt area, to avoid hypothermia.

Cover the burn with cling film without wrapping it around a limb, and take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain if necessary.

What is antiseptic cream?

Antiseptic cream is an important part of a first aid kit.

It’s used to soothe and heal wounds, and it protects against infection when you’ve had a cut, graze, burn, insect bite or any other minor wound.

Antiseptics work by weakening the growth of bacteria, not to be confused with an antibiotic, which works by killing bacteria.

What is the best thermometer for children?

If your baby feels hotter than usual on their forehead, back or stomach, or they’re feeling sweaty or clammy with flushed cheeks, you may need to check their temperature.

The NHS recommends using a basic digital thermometer and placing it under their armpit for about 15 seconds, or for however long it says in the manufacturer’s instructions.

This is the recommended way to take a child’s temperature until they’re 5 years old.

What should be in a car first aid kit?

Keeping a first aid kit in your car or vehicle is really important in case of an emergency, especially if you spend a lot of time driving.

You should try to keep a full first aid kit in your car, including the essential range of bandages and dressings, creams and medicines, as you never know what you’ll need when the time comes.

Which bandages do I need in my first aid kit?

That random box of plasters you’ve got hiding in your cupboard somewhere probably isn’t going to cut it when you’ve got a nasty wound to deal with!

Plasters are, of course, a vital part of the first aid kit, but you need to make sure you’ve got a range of different shapes and sizes.

You’ll also need small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings, a triangular bandage, crêpe rolled bandages and sterile eye dressings.