Learn first aids skills online | British Red Cross
Want to learn the key skills to use in an emergency? Our up-to-date advice is simple to learn and easy to remember.
Adult / Baby and Child First Aid:
- choking
- bleeding heavily
- unresponsive and breathing
- epileptic seizure
- asthma attack
- broken bones
- head injury
- heatstroke
- meningitis
- stroke
- Source: redcross.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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Get First Aid Advice | St John Ambulance
First aid topics
Bleeding, bone and muscles, breathing difficulties, choking, diabetic emergencies, effects of heat and cold, head injuries, heart, injuries and minor conditions, meningitis, paediatric first aid, poisoning, seizures, sepsis, severe allergic reaction, stroke
How to…
How to do CPR on an adult
How to make an arm sling
How to apply a dressing
How to put on a bandage
- Source: sja.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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First Aid – NHS
First aid | After an incident | CPR | Recovery position
- Source: nhs.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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Information for health professionals – Resuscitation Council (UK)
The Resuscitation Council (UK) exists to promote high-quality, scientific, resuscitation guidelines that are applicable to everybody, and to contribute to saving life through education, training, research and collaboration.
- Source: resus.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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Anaphylaxis and Severe Allergic Reaction
Anaphylaxis is a life threatening severe allergic reaction. It is a medical emergency, and requires immediate treatment.
A severe allergic reaction can cause an anaphylactic shock and must be treated with an adrenaline pen.
- Source: allergyuk.org
- Pharmacy Resource: Factsheet
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Symptoms of stroke| Stroke Association
The FAST test helps to spot the three most common symptoms of stroke. But there are other signs that you should always take seriously.
- Source: stroke.org.uk
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A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
Strokes are a medical emergency and urgent treatment is essential.
- Source: nhs.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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Heart attack
A heart attack happens when a blockage in your coronary artery causes part of your heart muscle to be starved of blood and oxygen. Most heart attacks occur when a blood clot forms inside the artery after a fatty deposit (called atheroma) has broken off from the artery wall.
A heart attack is a medical emergency and can be life threatening. If you think you or someone else is having a heart attack, call 999 for an ambulance immediately.
- Source: bhf.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Video
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What to do in an asthma attack
Emergency advice on what to do if you have an asthma attack, and how to help someone else having an asthma attack.
- Source: asthma.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Guidelines
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First aid for seizures
Seizure first aid is about what you can do if you see someone having a seizure. Find out about different seizure types and how you can help keep someone safe by following some simple steps.
- Source: epilepsy.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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Take epilepsy action video – First aid for seizures
Take epilepsy action is a campaign to raise awareness among the general public of different kinds of seizures and appropriate first aid.
- Source: epilepsy.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Video
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Knowing how to help someone during and after a seizure may help you to feel more confident if a seizure happens. How you can best help someone depends on the type of seizure they have, and what happens to them.
- Source: epilepsysociety.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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What is hypoglycaemia
- Why does hypoglycaemia happen?
- Symptoms of hypoglycaemia
- How to prevent hypoglycaemia
- How to treat hypoglycaemia
- Treating severe hypoglycaemia
- Hypoglycaemia at night
- Source: diabetes.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Guide
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Adrenal Crisis – Emergency Help
Each year, typically 8% of people with Addison’s Disease experience adrenal crisis. This means they need extra steroid medication immediately, in the form of an emergency injection of intra-muscular hydrocortisone.
This is a time-critical, life-threatening emergency and must be treated immediately. Follow the instructions below – foreign language translations are also available.
- Source: addisonsdisease.org.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Various
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Meningitis signs and symptoms video
Find out more about meningitis, as well as the symptoms in this short video
- Source: meningitisnow.org
- Pharmacy Resource: Video
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Meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours – know the symptoms
A3 poster to help identify the symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia in all age groups.
- Source: meningitis.org
- Pharmacy Resource: Poster
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Burns and Scalds
Following a burn or scald, make sure you and the affected person are safe from further burns or danger – then cool a burnt or scalded area immediately with water (preferably running cool water – not cold) for at least 20 minutes. This leaflet also gives further advice.
- Source: patient.info
- Pharmacy Resource: Leaflet
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Sprains and Strains
Following a sprain or strain the usual advice is to pay the PRICE (Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) and avoid HARM (Heat, Alcohol, Running, and Massage) for the first 48-72 hours after injury. Most sprains and strains heal within a few weeks.
- Source: patient.info
- Pharmacy Resource: Leaflet
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Insect Stings and Bites
If you are stung by a bee and the stinger remains in the skin, scrape out the stinger as quickly as possible. Do not pluck it out as this may squeeze more venom into the skin.
- Source: patient.info
- Pharmacy Resource: Leaflet
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Nosebleeds (Epistaxis)
Having a nosebleed (epistaxis) is common in children. Nosebleeds are usually mild and easily treated. Sometimes bleeding can be more severe. This is usually in older people, or in people with other medical problems such as blood disorders. Get medical help quickly if the bleeding is severe, or if it does not stop within 20-30 minutes.
- Source: patient.info
- Pharmacy Resource: Leaflet
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Emergencies and First Aid – Removing a Speck From the Eye
- Source: health.harvard.edu
- Pharmacy Resource: Instructions
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Emergencies and First Aid – Bleeding
Butterfly Bandages
Direct Pressure for Bleeding and Pressure Points for Bleeding
How to Stop a Nosebleed
- Source: health.harvard.edu
- Pharmacy Resource: Instructions
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Emergencies and First Aid – Broken Bones
How to Make a Sling
How to Splint a Fracture
- Source: health.harvard.edu
- Pharmacy Resource: Instructions
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Emergencies and First Aid – Choking
Heimlich Maneuver on an Adult
Heimlich Maneuver on a Child
Heimlich Maneuver on an Infant
- Source: health.harvard.edu
- Pharmacy Resource: Instructions
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Emergency multilingual phrasebook
The Emergency Multilingual phrasebook, produced and updated by the British Red Cross Society with advice and funding from the Department of Health and endorsed by the British Association for Emergency Medicine (BAEM) is translated into 36 languages. It covers the most common medical questions and terms to help first contact staff communicate with patients who do not speak English and make an initial assessment while an interpreter is contacted
- Source: webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk
- Pharmacy Resource: Phrasebook
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Pharmacy Resources Last Checked: 25/06/2024