Red Cross Blogs

Help make first aid in schools a reality

By Mark Cox
February 22, 2010 at 9:38 am

It was like an episode of Soldier, Soldier and Casualty melded into one. A group of young army cadets in Leek recently transformed into uber-medics when one of their number was hit by a car.

As teenager Kirsty Alcock  lay howling on the floor with a car-tyre track over her right foot, her five friends sprang into action. They took off her shoes, kept her calm, called for an ambulance, ran for blankets, directed traffic and even scribbled down notes at the scene.

But how did our intrepid heroes manage to respond so efficiently and professionally? Easy: they’d all taken a Red Cross first aid course at school just weeks earlier. As one of the young cadets, Tim (15) put it: “Our first aid training kicked in immediately. We just all seemed to know what to do.”

A new government Bill will hopefully make it law for schools to teach first aid as part of the national curriculum. It will next be debated by MPs on 23 February – and your support can help make it happen.

Want to help make first aid in schools a reality? It only takes a minute – here’s what you do.

1. Visit the WriteToThem website and enter your postcode to find your local MP.
2. Click on your local Member of Parliament.
3. Fill in your personal details, then paste the pre-written text (provided below) into the message box.
4. Email your MP.

Re: Children, Schools and Families Bill 2009

I am writing to you regarding the Children, Schools and Families Bill as it contains a proposal to make first aid training – within PSHE – a statutory part of the national curriculum.

First aid saves lives, reduces the impact of serious injury and can play a significant role in reducing the burden on the healthcare system. It should play a central role in any preventative health education programme. This is particularly pressing as more than half of the 5.5 million attendees at accident and emergency departments could have benefited from first aid.

For example, more than 100 young people (aged under 15) attend accident and emergency departments every day in the UK with a scald or burn injury. Such injuries are quite easy to treat and benefit greatly from imediate attention, but sadly most people lack the necessary basic skills.

The importance of basic first aid training makes the inclusion of statutory first aid training in the bill a welcome step forward. I am aware that there is a small window of opportunity for this Bill to become law before an expected General Election. As such I would urge you to support the Bill in the upcoming report stage on the 23 February.

Yours sincerely,

(Insert your name)

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Comments (2) »

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Tags: First aid, first aid tips, first aid training, red cross, volunteer, Volunteering, young people

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 9:38 am and is filed under First aid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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