World First Aid Day was introduced by the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in 2000. It is a global opportunity to raise public awareness of how first aid can save lives in everyday and crisis situations.
This year on World First Aid Day, the theme is ‘First aid and excluded people.’
Everyone should know how to save a life. First aid should be accessible to all – including the most vulnerable. And age should be no bar, being available to the young and elderly. This article explains exactly why learning first aid is so beneficial and how we can help you learn skills you really will use for life.
Information is power
It is a stark fact that 8 out of 10 parents surveyed admitted they wouldn’t know basic first aid procedures to save their child’s life. Think about the wide range of accidents children have on a regular basis in the comfort of their own home – cuts, choking, falls, asthma attacks – and think how you would feel if it were your child, your partner, your parent or even your pet.
Don’t find excuses, find time!
Everyone recognises the benefit of learning first aid. However, all too often we feel too busy to find the few hours needed to do a course, unsure about where to go for a course or what first aid basics the course should cover.
Don’t just cross your fingers
Most of us just keep our fingers crossed that accidents won’t happen to us and ours.
Or that should the worst happen, there will be a doctor or other medically trained person on hand to take charge and help.
Take control
The best solution to this is to take control and learn first aid. Taking a first aid course run by a highly qualified medical, health or emergency services professional teaches you lifesaving skills and gives you the confidence to know when and how to act in an emergency.
Book a practical course
A practical course offers the opportunity to practise hands-on skills such as resuscitation on a mannequin or helping save a choking adult, baby or child.
Any of the skills you learn could equip you with the knowledge you need to save a life, as well as improve the outcomes for someone who has had an accident.
Our award-winning training is fully regulated
First Aid for Life is fully regulated through Qualsafe Awards and TQUK to provide Level 3 HSE and Ofqual courses. Your Certificate will be awarded on the day.
High-quality courses – at our place or yours
We understand that location can make life easier and are happy to come to your work place or to your home (or other venue) if you want to run a bespoke course. Alternatively, we have a light bright purpose-built training room in Balham, south west London.
Course content tailored to your needs
Equally, the course content will be adapted to your needs. We listen to your work or home concerns to ensure that all the areas you wish us to cover are included in the course.
Small groups
Our courses are extremely practical and are held in small groups to give you individual attention. They will help you to feel confident and competent that you would know what to do in an emergency.
There will be ample manikins, so no waiting around for others to finish and we are happy to teach adult, baby and child First Aid on any of the courses.
Expert trainers
Our trainers are qualified Nurses or Emergency Services Professionals who use their First Aid on a regular basis.
They are extremely well-qualified trainers who will be able to answer your questions. They teach beyond a prescriptive syllabus.
We do not teach by rote, but will help you to understand the necessary priorities when treating someone, so that you will be able to think on your feet logically and safely.
We are proud to have received the Most Inspirational Trainer Award.
10 Powerful Reasons To Learn First Aid
So, you know how to do it, now here’s why you should do it. Finally, here are ten compelling reasons why learning first aid could be the most important thing you do this year.
Reason One – First aid saves lives
Firstly, basic first aid can mean the difference between life and death. A Red Cross survey shows a staggering 59% of deaths from injuries are preventable if first aid is given before the emergency services arrive.
Reason Two – First aid can speed your recovery
First aid can have a huge impact on someone’s chances of recovery, and can mean the difference between them having a short term or more permanent disability.
Reason Three – First aid reduces time in hospital
Furthermore, early intervention with first aid can reduce the length of time the patient needs to stay in hospital.
Reason Four – First aid prevents medical situations deteriorating
Knowing the basics of first aid can prevent a bad situation from getting worse. Consider a patient who is bleeding from a deep cut. Without intervention, the patient could suffer severe blood loss. By applying pressure using simple first aid techniques, you can prevent a medical emergency from rapidly deteriorating and stabilise the patient until further medical help arrives.
Reason Five – First aid can reduce unnecessary visits to hospital
Not every accident ends up in hospital but still needs medical attention. Some injuries are easy to manage with basic first aid at home. For example, a bumped head, a bruised knee or sprained ankle. First aid training also teaches you to prioritise injuries, giving the most seriously injured or ill the very best chance. Furthermore, it will equip you with the knowledge to establish whether someone needs further care. The GP, hospital or paramedics may need to step in. However, First Aid training will help you know which is most appropriate.
Reason Six – Competent first aid can often reduce the amount of pain experienced by casualties
Furthermore, knowing how to respond helps you stay calm in an emergency situation. Staying calm allows you to provide emotional support to the patient and thus help prevent them from panicking. This can often be a very effective form of pain relief. In addition, it is important to know how to physically move someone in pain, support their injuries and administer appropriate bandaging. As a result, the amount of pain they experience is greatly reduced.
Reason Seven – Crucial communication for the emergency services
Staying with the patient until the emergency services arrive to take over means you can convey vital information about how the patient sustained the injury or information about their condition. This information is vital to the emergency services for the effective treatment and can also aid the patient’s treatment and recovery.
Reason Eight – First aid increases awareness and reduces your susceptibility to accidents
In addition, learning first aid and becoming alert to potential hazards and medical issues increases our health awareness. It also allows us to take better care of ourselves, our friends and families. Lastly, It creates resilient communities and relieves pressure on the NHS.
Reason Nine – First aid makes you feel empowered
Learning first aid will give you the confidence to act appropriately when an accident occurs. It is vitally important to deal with any life-saving injuries before reaching for the phone to call for an ambulance.
It is also very useful to know when and if to move someone following an accident and when they should be kept still.
Reason Ten – Be prepared for anything
None of us know what the future has in store for us or for our loved ones. Sudden illness such as heart attack, stroke, severe bleeding and breathing difficulties require immediate attention. You will be well equipped to provide first aid for these issues after a course. First aid also equips you to deal with bleeding, burns, breathlessness, bites, shocks, stings, splints and fainting. Therefore, whatever medical situation life throws at you, you can respond effectively.
Outstanding feedback
We get regular and outstanding feedback about our expert trainers, praising their ability to condense vital information into an efficient easy-to-digest format which is fun.
Here is some of our recent feedback here:
‘ I had my resus training with Jen yesterday. Just wanted to say how brilliant at her job she is! She made it pithy, funny and yet grounded in the gravitas of such a situation. It’s a lot of information but she delivered it pitch-perfect in such a way that didn’t feel drawn-out or too fast to absorb.’ -Brocklebank Group Practice.
‘ I just wanted to email to say thank you very much indeed for the First Aid training delivered by Andy last night.
It was very professional, positive, informative and fun.
I know that the ladies who took part were all impressed and found the course very useful.
Thank you too for the emails and updates – I will put a link in this week’s newsletter to your site so that parents too can have all the information needed to help.
Brilliant job – thank you!’ – Head at Longditton School
‘I am really enjoying the online course. The videos are really helpful and informative. The information is really easy to understand and it increased my knowledge about different topics of first aid.
Thank you.’ – MR
Friendly and supportive office staff
Our office staff are friendly, responsive and informative. They will be happy to help you decide which is the right course for your needs and ensure everything runs smoothly. They offer invaluable behind-the-scenes support to customers and trainers making sure everything runs smoothly. Our office team has won the Federation of Small Businesses award for Best Business for Excellence in Customer Service as well as Overall Winner Best Business in London.
From the comfort of your own home
We understand that many of us lead busy lives and are time-poor so our online courses are the perfect solution – you can simply learn these vital skills when it suits you.
Free resources
Our four websites offer comprehensive cover for all things first aid: from booking practical courses or online courses, to offering our award-winning blogs and other a range of free first aid resources.
First Aid for Life and Online First Aid – we have everyone in your family covered on our websites.
First Aid for Pets – we help keep your pets protected.
StaySafe.Support – we offer support and information for your mature relatives and their family and carers.
Award-winning blog and free newsletter
We offer a vast range of high-quality, informative articles. From our interesting and informative blogs https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/blog/ to our free weekly newsletter delivered straight to your inbox with free info and advice, updates and all the latest news and techniques Sign up here: https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/newsletter-sign-up/
Free e-books and free courses
We also have a wealth of free resources on our websites from:
Free courses: https://onlinefirstaid.com/courses/choking/
Resources for schools: https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/first-aid-courses/first-aid-for-children-school/free-teaching-resources/
Posters: https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/free-cpr-posters/
Emergency checklist: https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/emergency-check-list/
E-books: https://firstaidforlife.org.uk/free-books/
Social media – get in touch and stay connected
If you haven’t already, follow us on Facebook (we have a First Aid for Life page and a First Aid for Pets page). You can also join our Stay Safe Community group on Facebook. This is a forum where we share techniques, experiences and ask for advice.
We are also very active on Twitter and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you, especially if you have stories you’d like to share or topics you’d like us to cover. Please get in touch here: emma@firstaidforlife.org.uk
YouTube
Have you watched our YouTube channel yet? It features over 600 useful and informative videos. We’ve also got over 8 million views and over 23,000 subscribers. Plus, we’re regularly uploading dozens of new videos.
Check out our channel here First Aid for Life: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwywRelPfy7U8jAI312J_Xw?view_as=subscriber&inf_contact_key=501cd8146c84fe34b3c8b892ee06fa87cc0558ed5d4c28cbfab114022b1ec50d
We have an exciting new series 60 Second First Aid which is our most concise yet and which are perfect for learning new skills or refreshing old ones – fast.
Written by Emma Hammett RGN – Founder and CEO of First Aid for Life.
First Aid for Life is the leading provider of first aid training for schools, parents, child carers and health workers and our team of highly experienced medical, health and emergency services professionals will tailor the training to your needs. We incorporate anaphylaxis training in all our first aid courses and can provide specialist annual refreshers as needed. We always train using all devices.
It is strongly advised that you attend a First Aid course. It will allow you to understand what to do in a medical emergency. First Aid for Life run specific courses covering in detail how to help someone having an asthma attack.
Please visit www.firstaidforlife.org.uk, emma@firstaidforlife.org.uk or tel: 0208 675 4036 for more information about our courses. First Aid for life provides this information for guidance and it is not in any way a substitute for medical advice. First Aid for Life is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made, or actions taken based on this information.
0 Comments