Step 1: Check response
- Shake their shoulders firmly
- Shout "Can you hear me? Open your eyes!"
Step 2: No response? Call 999
- Put phone on speaker
- They will guide you through everything
Step 3: Check breathing (10 secs max)
- Tilt head back, lift chin
- Look, listen, feel for breath
Not breathing? Start CPR now:
Push hard and fast on centre of chest
• Heel of hand on centre of chest
• Arms straight, push down 5-6cm
• 100-120 pushes per minute (beat of Stayin' Alive)
• Don't stop until help arrives
Push hard and fast on centre of chest
• Heel of hand on centre of chest
• Arms straight, push down 5-6cm
• 100-120 pushes per minute (beat of Stayin' Alive)
• Don't stop until help arrives
If they ARE breathing: 👆 Tap: Recovery Position
Remember:
- Any CPR is better than no CPR
- Push hard, push fast
- The 999 operator will guide you
Someone with an infection who:
- Is confused or slurring words
- Is shivering badly or has muscle pain
- Hasn't peed all day
- Is struggling to breathe
- Says "I feel like I might die"
- Has blotchy, pale, or blue skin
👶 Children: Not feeding, floppy, fits, blotchy skin, breathing fast
What to do:
- Call 999 now
- Say "I think it's sepsis"
- Every hour matters
Warning signs:
- Chest pain or tightness (may come and go)
- Pain in arm, jaw, neck, or back
- Hard to breathe
- Cold sweat, feeling sick, dizzy
- Feeling of doom
⚠️ Women & Diabetics often don't get chest pain — watch for sickness, jaw pain, extreme tiredness
What to do:
- Call 999 — don't wait
- Sit them down
- Chew 1 aspirin if over 16 and not allergic
- Be ready to do CPR
FAST test:
- Face — Has one side dropped?
- Arms — Can they lift both?
- Speech — Is it slurred or strange?
- Time — Call 999 now
Also: Sudden bad headache, can't see properly, very confused, one side numb
What to do:
- Call 999 — note time it started
- Keep them comfy, head up a bit
- Do NOT give aspirin
- Do NOT give food or drink
Signs:
- Hard to breathe, wheezing
- Tongue or throat swelling
- Feeling faint, collapsing
- Rash + breathing problems
What to do:
- Call 999 — say "anaphylaxis"
- Use EpiPen in outer thigh (through clothes is OK)
- Hold 10 seconds
⚠️ POSITION MATTERS:
Can breathe OK? → Lie flat, legs up
Struggling to breathe? → Sit them UP
Never let them stand or walk
📞 Call 999
Full guide →
Can breathe OK? → Lie flat, legs up
Struggling to breathe? → Sit them UP
Never let them stand or walk
Signs:
- Worst headache ever
- Stiff neck — can't touch chin to chest
- High fever but cold hands/feet
- Hates bright light
- Vomiting, confused, drowsy
- Rash that doesn't fade
🥛 Glass Test
Press a glass on the rash. If it doesn't fade → call 999 now.
Check palms or soles on darker skin.
👶 Babies: Bulging soft spot, high-pitched cry, floppy, won't feed
⚠️ Rash may come LATE or not at all. Trust your gut: "Never been this ill"
📞 Call 999
Full guide →
Can't cough, speak, or breathe?
Adults & Children Over 1:
- 5 back blows — lean forward, hit hard between shoulder blades
- 5 belly thrusts — fist above belly button, pull IN and UP
- Repeat until clear or they pass out
👶 Babies Under 1 — DIFFERENT:
5 back blows + 5 chest pushes (NOT belly)
2 fingers on middle of chest
5 back blows + 5 chest pushes (NOT belly)
2 fingers on middle of chest
If they pass out: Start CPR — pushing on chest may shift the blockage
📞 Call 999 if not clearing
Full guide →
DO:
- Protect their head (cushion it)
- Move dangerous objects away
- Time the seizure
- Stay with them
DO NOT:
• Restrain them
• Put anything in their mouth
• Move them unless in danger
• Restrain them
• Put anything in their mouth
• Move them unless in danger
Call 999 if: First seizure, lasts over 5 minutes, don't regain consciousness, injured, pregnant, or you're unsure
Most seizures stop within 2-3 minutes
📞 Call 999 if needed Full guide →Blood spurting or soaking through?
What to do:
- Press hard with cloth or your hand
- Keep pressing — don't peek
- If it soaks through, add more on top
- Lift the injury above the heart
- Call 999
- Keep them warm
Something stuck in wound? Don't pull it out — press around it
Signs of bad blood loss: Pale, cold, clammy, fast weak pulse, confused
→ Lie them down, legs up, keep warm
📞 Call 999
Full guide →
→ Lie them down, legs up, keep warm