to think first aid should be much more widely taught?

[MyNameIsWinkly]

Why isn't first aid taught in schools? Why aren't expectant parents offered first aid courses, alongside nhs birthing classes? They should be on offer at Sure Start and Childrens Centres too.

My friend's baby stopped breathing yesterday. My friend has had masses of first aid training through work, and he managed to clear baby's airway & give some rescue breaths which 'reminded' baby how to breathe. Its often all young babies need. By the time the ambulance arrived, baby was screaming his head off. Thank fuck. But the techniques aren't difficult, any one day course will teach them. So why is this not on offer?

The British Red Cross do offer some evening courses across the country, other providers are available, if anyone is inspired.

Yanbu. Just a few basics can save a person's life. I was in St John Ambulance for years as teen but could really do with a refresher.

Quite agree. Glad your baby is ok now.

Unless it becomes a Government initiative, the situation has been like this in this country forever it seems to me.

Music to my ears!! I have been harping on about this since I got pregnant (she is 10 months now!) I wasted 10 weeks at antenatalclasses that focussed soley on labour and didn't tell me anything I didn't know already. No time is contributed to teaching you what to do once you have the little person to take home and look after. We were complaining about this at one of the baby groups and the lady running it organized for somebody to come and train us in first aid. Hopefully we'll all be as lucky as your friend's baby but sadly that won't be the case. X

I was taught first aid at school and my health visitor ran a first aid course for parents - so in some areas it does happen.

Agreed. Our sure start did baby first aid as part of a post natal class and the nct also offered some. I did both and it helped reinforce it. (Learning baby first aid with baby brain was tough.)

First aid at school is a great idea.

I also had a scare yesterday with my 16 month dd which did bring it home although luckily she was still breathing and by the time the ambulance arrived she out of her trance but I am glad that I did know what to do had it gone downhill even further. I also used the choking tips I learnt on the courses when she chocked one day.

I agree.

The Sure Start centre runs first aid courses in my area and HV and HCP can direct parents to St John or Red Cross providers who run adult and child/baby first aid courses although they are charged for.

My DD2 was in NICU for 6 weeks and we weren't allowed to take her home until we'd done a BLS session!

I wish they taught first aid and BLS in schools - people are fired up to try and get defibrillators in schools but I think the money would be better spent on offering BLS and FA skills to all staff and children first.

It should be mandatory in schools.

i honestly don't see why it isn't

euphemia that is crazy. How hard would it be to add some first aid to a PGCE or teacher training course?

LIG1979 I'm pleased your baby is ok.

lonecat I'm glad some areas do it, such a shame it's not nationwide.

I know it would cost money, but surely the knock on effect would be reduced spending in A&E, if parents are better able to deal with minor accidents, or can give effective first response to more serious things?

Euphemia I used to be a school nurse and provided BLS and anaphylaxis training to school staff. In most schools they used to send the dinner ladies and TAs instead of the teachers which I thought was bizarre. Surely ALL staff should attend?

I couldn't agree more.

I'm a children's nurse and YANBU. I really don't think some parents realise how serious something like choking can be.

YANBU.
I think first aid should be part of the national curriculum from an early age - at an age appropriate level. Starting with how to ring 999 and what to say, how to get help etc. from nursery / pre school age.
Then teaching basic first aid, the recovery position and then on to CPR as the children get older.
when I was young I joined the local rookie lifeguard scheme, and we were taught full CPR from being about 9 years old. My school also did a first aid day when we were taken to a specialist centre and trained in basic first aid, and our skills were tested with very real seeming scenarios (actors, fake blood - the works). It was a fantastic day, but sadly was only open to a handful of students.
The skills I learned there could have saved a life, and that is such an important life skill.

Also from an ex paediatric nurses perspective I think it should be mandatory for parents to attend a first aid course - maybe once a year for at least the first 5 years of their childs life. Things like how to deal with a child who is choking should definitely be taught, as their airways become easily blocked (their airways are cone shape when they are young) and it is sometimes something parents could deal with and save their childs life if only they had the skills to do so.
A local charity ( Millie's Trust ) are trying to encourage people to learn first aid, as it is believed that their daughter could have been saved by proper knowledge of first aid.

The issue though is always funding such schemes, but I do believe that it is something worth investing in.

It should be a compulsory part of antenatal and parenting classes.
All prospective parents should be first-aid trained, along with lessons in basic childcare and nutrition.
Not schools and teaching 15 year olds, whose knowledge will fade or be obsolete by the time they are parents.

Absolutely. It should be a compulsory part of the national curriculum, if you ask me! And all new parents should be taught baby/child first aid as part of their antenatal care.

Totally agree, it should be mandatory in high school. I also think anyone who has or works with children should make sure they learn the basics. I have possibly saved my own ds's life twice in the last 5 years simply because I knew exactly what to do. I'm forever telling my parents what they should do if they suspect they are having a heart attack/stroke. Simple measures save lives.

it is worth teaching 15 year olds - first aid isn't just for kids. The person you are most likely to perform first aid on is someone very close to you at 4am.

it is also worth while to teach minor injuries stuff - there are still plenty on here who think you put butter or 'antiseptic cream' on a burn. (you put NOTHING on a burn apart from a stream of cold water for as long as possible)

BTW I've had a first aid ticket for years (renewed every three) and I've used it seriously once. I saved a life.

it doesn't always save life (that's what defibrillators do) but it can do, and it also gives the comfort that you did all that was possible.

I would love to see it taught in schools, as part of PHSE or similar.

DD had 3 aftenoon sessions doing a FA course in Y6 - just some basics and CPR type stuff. But useful and she can remember most of it a few months on. As it is such a practical lesson it tends to stick.

Would definitely be useful, especially once children are off out and about on their own without parents.

It should be taught in schools IMO. At the very least everyone should be able to put someone in the recovery position and check to see if someone is breathing.

I was sent on a basic first aid course through my work, before that I was clueless about what to do in an emergency.

Like many chools, where I tech - an infant school - it is the support staff and TAs who tend to be the first aiders.

I did the 3 day FA course last week.

Pretty much all our TAs, both caretakers and some other support staff have done the 1 day course. The Deputy Head and a couple of TAs have done the 2 day pediatric FA course. The HT, 3 or 4 TAs and ne of the caretakers has done the 3 day FA at work course, which incorporates stuff for adults and children.

I am not sure if any of our teachers have done any of the FA courses though - 1 day or 2 day. Certianly none are done as official FAiders at school. I'd like to see this changed though - and them all do at least the 1 day course.

Accidents can happen anywhere and at anytime. A child as young as 4 has been in the press before for ringing an ambulance for their sick parent, who would have died if the child didn't know to ring 999.
That is why these skills need to be taught through out education, from nursery through to university.
And yes a 15 year old does need to know CPR, they could easily be faced with a life or death scenario at that age (I know I was at 16!). All it takes is a friend / family member/ someone in the street to collapse or have an accident for their skills to be needed.

Yanbu. There is currently an online petition to get the government to make first aid part of the curriculum.

I am a member of St John Ambulance and have been for 15 years. First aid is something relatively easy to learn but which can save lives, lives are lost through lack of people with first aid training which is awful.

As a teacher, I've done the FA course once every three years as an INSET day, and every member of staff has epipen training once a year.
I agree that general FA is a good thing to have as part of a PSHCE course, but I do believe that prospective parents need to know baby-specific FA.

Yes - all our staff have had epi pen training - was a couple a weeks ogo infact. That happened inschool.

A good emergency number to teach children - especially those using a mobile phone is 112

This number for the emergency services has better gps and tracking systems - ideal for those who are not sure of their location, those that find it harder to descibe their lcoation (ie young children) or those using a movile phone.