No medical help

This is a reminder, not a substitute for training. A first aid course (St John Ambulance or British Red Cross) is the most valuable preparation you can do. Always try 999 first. NHS 111 is for urgent but non-life-threatening problems.

Check: is it life-threatening?

Work through these in order: Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, then bleeding.

1. Danger: make sure you are not about to become a casualty too.
2. Response: speak loudly, tap their shoulders.
3. Airway: tilt the head back gently, lift the chin.
4. Breathing: look, listen and feel for up to 10 seconds. Occasional gasps are not normal breathing.

Not breathing normally: CPR

• Call 999 and put the phone on speaker. Send someone for a defibrillator (AED) if there is one nearby; the 999 call handler can tell you where.
• Adult: push hard and fast in the centre of the chest, 5 to 6 cm deep, 100 to 120 times a minute (the beat of Stayin' Alive). If trained, give 2 rescue breaths after every 30 compressions; if not, just keep pushing.
• Child: start with 5 rescue breaths if you can, then 30 compressions to one third of the chest depth (one or two hands), then 2 breaths and 30 compressions.
• Keep going until help arrives, the person starts breathing normally, or you are too exhausted to continue.
• Use the AED as soon as it arrives and follow its spoken instructions.

Unconscious but breathing: recovery position

• Roll them onto their side, top leg bent to stop them rolling, head tilted back so vomit can drain.
• Keep checking their breathing.

Severe bleeding

• Press firmly on the wound with a pad or cloth. Keep pressing. Do not keep lifting it to look.
• If blood soaks through, add more on top and press harder.
• For life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg that pressure does not stop, a proper tourniquet applied high and tight on the limb can save a life. Note the time you applied it.
• Lay them down and keep them warm (shock).

Choking

• Adult or child over 1: encourage coughing. If that fails, up to 5 sharp back blows between the shoulder blades, then up to 5 abdominal thrusts. Repeat. Call 999 if it does not clear.
• If they become unconscious, start CPR.

Burns

• Cool under cool running water for 20 minutes. Remove jewellery near the burn.
• Cover loosely with cling film. Do not use creams, butter or ice.
• Get help for burns larger than the person's hand, on the face, hands, feet or genitals, or any burn on a child.

Cold and heat

• Hypothermia (shivering, confusion, slurred speech, drowsiness): get them out of the wind and wet, into dry layers and blankets, and give warm sweet drinks if fully alert. Warm them gradually.
• Heatstroke (hot, confused, not sweating, collapsing): move to shade, cool with water and fanning, call 999.

Sickness and diarrhoea

• The danger is dehydration, especially in children. Give small, frequent sips of water or rehydration solution.
• Warning signs: very few wet nappies or little urine, sunken eyes, drowsiness, no tears when crying. Get help.

Medicines

• Keep at least one month of any regular prescription where possible. Ask the GP about repeat prescriptions in good time.
• For children's medicine, always use the dose on the packet for the child's age and weight, and use the measuring syringe provided.

Get ready before it happens

• First aid course for both adults (include child first aid)
• First aid kit at home and in the van, including large dressings and a tourniquet
• Children's paracetamol and ibuprofen, with dosing syringes
• Oral rehydration sachets
• At least one month of regular medicines
• Written list of each person's medicines, allergies and conditions
• Spare glasses or contact lenses
• Thermometer