Basic First Aid (2 Days)

Basic First Aid is the entry point — no prior experience needed — built around the three things a bystander is most likely to actually face: a wound that needs managing, someone whose breathing or heart has stopped, and someone unconscious but still breathing. It’s the foundation the Advanced, Corporate and specialised courses build on.

Wound Care & Bleeding Control

For everyday cuts and scrapes: stop the bleeding with direct pressure and elevation, rinse the wound under running water, wash around it with soap (keeping soap out of the wound itself), remove any visible dirt or debris, apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment, and cover it with a clean dressing. Change the dressing daily, or sooner if it gets wet or dirty, and watch for signs of infection — increasing pain, redness, warmth, swelling or discharge — which mean it’s time to see a doctor. Bleeding that doesn’t slow with a few minutes of firm direct pressure, or that’s spurting or heavy, has moved beyond basic wound care into an emergency: call 995 immediately.

In daily life, this is the kitchen knife slip, the scraped knee from a bike fall, a child’s cut at the playground, or a small nick from a DIY job. Most people either panic over a minor cut or ignore a wound that’s quietly getting infected — knowing this simple sequence prevents both.

CPR Fundamentals

The core sequence: check if the person is responsive and breathing normally, call 995 or have someone else call while you start, then begin chest compressions — heel of one hand on the centre of the chest, compressing about 5cm (2 inches) deep at 100 to 120 compressions per minute. Hands-only CPR (compressions without rescue breaths) is proven effective and is exactly what this course builds confidence in, even before any advanced technique is introduced. Keep going until the person shows signs of life or help arrives to take over.

In daily life, this is a family member collapsing at home, a colleague going down in a meeting, or a jogger collapsing mid-run. The fundamentals taught here are what turn a bystander into the person who kept someone alive long enough for an ambulance or a trained responder to arrive.

Recovery Position

Once you’ve confirmed someone is unconscious but breathing normally, the recovery position keeps their airway open and stops them choking on vomit or their own tongue. Kneel beside them, place their nearest arm out at a right angle with the palm up, bring their far arm across their chest so the back of their hand rests against their near cheek, then use your other hand to pull their far knee up and gently roll them toward you onto their side using that bent leg. Tilt their head back slightly to keep the airway clear, and keep checking their breathing until help arrives. Skip this if a spinal injury is suspected, unless keeping the airway clear requires it.

In daily life, this is someone who has fainted, a person who’s had a seizure and is now unconscious but breathing, or someone who’s had too much to drink and is at risk of vomiting while unconscious. It’s one of the simplest first aid actions taught — and one of the most used, because a person left flat on their back is at real risk of choking without anyone doing anything wrong at all.