Why We All Need First Aid Training

All businesses are required by law to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment and certain organisations must have at least one trained first aid provider. However, research commissioned by the British Red Cross and carried out by the University of Manchester suggests that more than half (59%) of pre-hospital deaths from injury could be prevented if more people were able to step in with basic first aid knowledge.

Although 93% of people finding someone with an injury call for an ambulance, research found that it was extremely rare that any kind of first aid intervention was given before the arrival of emergency services. These figures are strong proof that we all need first aid training, not just allocated workplace first aiders. Simple first aid training for more people could mean that many people could be kept alive by simple interventions.

At Connect Dental, we provide essential first aid training courses, including CPR, Medical Emergencies & AED training, Emergency First Aid at Work, and Basic Life Support. Each course is designed to provide individuals with the skills they need to provide basic emergency care. By teaching basic life-saving skills to more and more people, we can help to reduce the number of preventable pre-hospital deaths.

Basic first aid that could save a life

Should a person be unresponsive but breathing, you should:

1. Check their breathing by gently tilting their head backwards, looking for visual signs of breathing, listening and feeling for breaths.
2. Move them onto their side and tilt their head back – this is called the recovery position.
3. Call 999/112 as quickly as possible, or get someone else to do it if you are not alone.

When a person is unresponsive and not breathing, you should:

1. Check for breathing by tilting their head backwards, looking for visual signs of breathing, listening and feeling for breaths.
2. Call 999/112 as quickly as possible, or get someone else to do it if you are not alone.
3. Carry out CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) by pushing firmly downwards in the middle of the chest and then releasing (30 compressions followed by 2 rescue breath) Push at a regular rate until help arrives - a useful tip is to push at the tempo of “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees.

Should a victim be bleeding heavily, you should:

1. Apply pressure to the wound with whatever is available, for example, a shirt or jacket, to slow down the flow of blood.
2. Call 999/112 as quickly as possible, or get someone else to do it if you are not alone.
3. Continue applying pressure to the wound until emergency services arrive.

To learn more about first aid courses for all of your employees, contact Connect Dental today by calling 0118 901 6910 or make an enquiry online if you would prefer. Remember, the more people that receive first aid training, the more lives that can be saved.