Complete First Aid

Complete First Aid Complete First Aid offers a full range of first aid courses. We can deliver anywhere in the Essex.

05/08/2026

What is an asthma attack?
During an asthma attack, the muscles of the air passages in the lungs go into spasm. As a result, the airways become narrowed, which makes breathing more difficult. Sometimes there is a recognised trigger for an attack, such as a cold, a drug, cigarette smoke or an allergy. At other times, there is no obvious trigger.

Look for:
• difficulty breathing
• wheezing and coughing
• a tight chest, it may feel like a band is tightening around it
• distress and anxiety
• difficulty speaking, shown through short sentences and whispering
• signs of hypoxia such as grey-blue tinge to the lips, earlobes and nailbeds
• exhaustion, in the case of a severe attack.
What to do
• Reassure the casualty and ask them to take their usual dose of their reliever inhaler (usually blue). Ask them to breathe slowly and deeply.
• If they have a spacer available, ask them to use it with their inhaler. The inhaler is more effective with a spacer, especially when being used for young children.
• If they have no inhaler call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
• Sit them down in a comfortable position.
• A mild attack will normally ease after a few minutes. However, if they don’t improve within a few minutes, it may be a severe attack. Ask them to take a puff every 30 to 60 seconds, until they have had 10 puffs. Help the casualty to use their inhaler if they need assistance.
• If the attack is severe, and they are getting worse, becoming exhausted, or if this is their first attack, call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
• Monitor their breathing and level of response. If the ambulance hasn't arrived within 15 minutes, repeat step 3.
• If they become unresponsive at any point prepare to give CPR.
• If their symptoms improve and you do not need to call 999, advise the patient to get an urgent same-day appointment to see their GP or asthma nurse.

04/08/2026

How to use a cold compress or ice pack
Cooling an injury like a sprain or bruise can help to reduce the swelling and pain. There are two types of compresses: ice packs, and cold pads, which can be made from dampening a cloth with cold water.

What to do – cold pad
• Soak a clean cloth or flannel in cold water. Then wring it out lightly and fold into a pad.
• Hold it firmly against the injured area
• Re-soak the cloth every couple of minutes to keep it cool.
• Do not cool the injury for more than 20 minutes
What to do - Ice pack
• Use a pack of frozen vegetables or partly fill a plastic bag using small ice cubes or crushed ice. Wrap the bag in a dry cloth.
• There are also readymade ice packs available to buy.
• Hold the pack on the injury and top up with ice to keep it cool.
• Do not cool the injury for more than 20 minutes.

03/08/2026

Fever
A fever is when a person has a persistent high temperature above 37°C (98.6°F). This is normally caused by a bacterial or viral infection and is often associated with a sore throat, earache, measles, meningitis or chickenpox. Beware of recent overseas travel. If a young child’s temperature rises above 39°C (102. 2°F) this can be dangerous and might trigger a seizure.

Look for:

• a persistently high temperature - above 37°C (98.6°F)
• feeling cold, with goose pimples, shivering and chattering teeth.
• Later they may have:
• hot, flushed skin and sweating
• a headache
• general aches and pains.
What to do
• If someone has a fever, help make them comfortable and keep them cool, ideally in bed with a sheet or light duvet.
• Do not use a sponge to cool them as there is a risk of overcooling.
• Give the casualty plenty of cool drinks to replace any fluid loss through sweating.
• If they’re feeling unwell, you can give them the recommended dose of paracetamol tablets for an adult, or the recommended dose of paracetamol syrup for a child.
• Do not give aspirin to anyone under the age of 16.
• Monitor their level of response until they recover.
• If you are worried, seek medical advice.

02/08/2026

What is sepsis?
Sepsis is caused by the way the body responds to an infection. The infection can happen anywhere in the body. For example, a chest or urinary infection, 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 adults and older children, look for:
• Slurred speech, confusion, dizziness, or faintness
• Extreme shivering or muscle pain
• Passing no urine over the past 24 hours
• Severe breathlessness or rapid breathing
• ‘I feel sicker than I ever have before’
• Skin is mottled, pale or discoloured
• They may not have all of these symptoms.
What to do
• If someone 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.

01/08/2026

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.

31/07/2026

Head injuries in babies and children
When your baby starts to crawl, they can bump their head on furniture or other objects and when starting to walk they may be unsteady and fall. Most of the time the injury will be minor, and they might not even cry, but sometimes a bump on the head can be more serious.

Minor head injury
Look for:
• bump or bruise to the head
• possible head wound
• dizziness or vomiting
• short period of unresponsiveness.
What to do
• If you think your baby has a minor head injury sit them on your lap and hold something cold against the injury to help reduce the swelling, like an ice pack or a frozen bag of vegetables wrapped in a tea towel.
• While you do this try to assess the baby’s level of response using the AVPU scale.
A – Are they alert? Are their eyes open?
V – Can they respond to you if you talk to them?
P – Does the baby respond to pain? If you flick the bottom of their foot, or pinch their ear lobe, do they respond to you by moving or opening their eyes?
U – Are they unresponsive to all of the above? If they are unresponsive or you are worried, call 999 or 112 for emergency help.
• If they have any wounds, treat them by applying direct pressure to the wound.
• Keep checking the baby’s level of response until they’ve recovered, or medical help arrives.
Severe head injury
Look for:

• drowsiness
• headache
• vomit
• if they suffer a seizure or fit
• unequal pupil size
• blood or blood stained watery fluid coming from the ear or nose
• unresponsiveness.
What to do
• If you know that your baby has had a severe knock to the head or a minor head injury is getting worse, you should call 999 or 112 for emergency help and tell ambulance control that you suspect a serious head injury to your baby.

30/07/2026

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.

29/07/2026

Seizures (fits) in adults
In adults, the most common cause of a seizure, also known as a convulsion or fit, is epilepsy. However, it can be caused by other things, including a head injury, alcohol poisoning, lack of oxygen, after taking certain drugs, or if someone with diabetes has a 'hypo' where their blood glucose is too low.

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and can cause repeated seizures, which are often sudden and dramatic.

Look for:
• sudden loss of responsiveness
• a rigid body with an arching back
• noisy, difficult breathing
• grey blue tinge on the lips
• start of jerky uncontrolled movements (uncontrolled)
• saliva at the mouth, possibly blood stained if they have bitten their tongue or lip
• loss of bladder or bowel control.
What to do
• Clear away any potentially dangerous objects
• With any seizure, it is important to first protect the casualty from harming themselves during the fit. Ask any bystanders to stand back and clear away any potentially dangerous objects, like hot drinks or sharp objects.
• Make a note of the time that the seizure started.
• Do not restrain the casualty or move them unless they are in immediate danger.
• Do not put anything in their mouth.
• Protect their head. You could place soft padding underneath it, such as a rolled-up towel. You should also loosen any clothing around their neck.
• When any jerky movements have stopped, open their airway and check their breathing.
• If they are breathing put them in the recovery position.
• Monitor their level of response and make a note of how long the seizure lasted.
• If they become unresponsive at any time, prepare to call 999 or 112 for emergency help and give CPR.
Call 999 or 112 for emergency help if:
• it is the casualty’s first seizure
• they are having repeated seizures
• the cause of the seizure is unknown
• the seizure continues for more than five minutes
• the casualty is unresponsive for more than 10 minutes
• they have an injury on another part of the body.

28/07/2026

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.

27/07/2026

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.

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ARU Writtle Main Campus, Lordship Road
Writtle
CM13RR

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+441245473380

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