First aid: be ready to help

First aid can make a real difference in an emergency. It’s a hands-on skill, so the best preparation is to learn it before you need it, and to have trusted guidance on your phone that works without signal.

In an emergency

• Call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk. The call handler can talk you through what to do until help arrives.
• For urgent medical advice when it isn’t an emergency, call 111 (England, Scotland and Wales).

Get a first-aid app now, while you have signal

• The free First aid by British Red Cross app gives simple, step-by-step advice, and works without an internet connection once it’s installed.
• If you look after babies or young children, the British Red Cross also has a free Baby and Child First Aid app.
• Download them today, so they’re there if the network isn’t.

Look it up online

St John Ambulance publishes clear advice on common emergencies. These pages need an internet connection.

• CPR and using a defibrillator
• Choking
• Severe bleeding
• Burns and scalds
• The recovery position
• Heart attack and stroke
• Hypothermia and heatstroke
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• All first-aid advice

Learn it properly

• Do a first-aid course with St John Ambulance or the British Red Cross: even a few hours covers the basics that matter most.
• Refresh it every few years; first aid fades if you don’t use it.

Keep a kit

• Keep a stocked first-aid kit somewhere everyone in your home can find it, and tell them where it is.
• Check it every so often, and replace anything that’s been used or is out of date.

Step-by-step first-aid guidance, written and checked by a qualified clinician, is coming to the app.