First Aid Guidelines Update: What You Need to Know

The Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) updates its first aid and resuscitation guidelines every five years to ensure training reflects the latest scientific evidence. 

These updates help ensure that first aid techniques remain effective, consistent and high-quality across the UK, ultimately giving casualties the best possible outcomes.

At Help! First Aid Training, we closely follow all RCUK recommendations, alongside guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

Here's a summary of key changes being introduced for future first aid courses—and why they matter.

Call 999 Immediately When You Find an Unconscious Casualty

The new recommendation is to dial 999 as soon as you discover someone who is unconscious, before checking for normal breathing. If another person is present, they can make the call; if you are alone, you can use speakerphone while continuing your checks.

Why is this important?

• It reduces delays in getting emergency help on the way.
• 999 call handlers are trained to guide you through recognising cardiac arrest and initiating CPR, improving outcomes for the casualty.

Updated Placement for Defibrillator Pads

RCUK now advises adjusting the position of the second defibrillator pad so it sits just beneath the left armpit.

·       Why is this important?

This placement ensures the electrical current travels more directly through the heart, increasing the effectiveness of defibrillation and improving the chances of a successful shock. 

Bleeding Control to Be Included More Widely in Training

Bleeding control will now be included in courses such as First Aid at Work, Re-qualification First Aid at Work and Emergency First Aid at Work. 

Why is this important?

• Severe bleeding is one of the most preventable causes of death following an accident.
• RCUK now supports the use of tourniquets and haemostatic (contain a blood clotting agent) dressings by trained first aiders—especially in high-risk workplaces and when direct pressure alone isn’t enough. 
• Although bleeding control was once considered an advanced technique, evidence now shows that it can be lifesaving when used correctly by a trained first aider.

Revised Baby CPR Technique

For infant CPR, RCUK now recommend the encircling (two-thumb) technique as the preferred method.

Benefits of the encircling method are the result of the latest international research findings and include:

• More effective compressions: Encircling allows for deeper, more consistent chest compressions.
• Better blood flow: Cartoid arteries are located in the neck and supply blood flow to the brain and the eyes. Research shows improved carotid artery blood flow using the encircling method, compared to the traditional two-finger technique. 
• Less fatigue: First aiders can maintain the technique for longer without tiring as quickly.are based on robust new international research.

Help! First Aid Training Is Already Teaching to the New Standards

At Help! First Aid Training, we have already incorporated these updates into all relevant courses, including:

• First Aid at Work
• Re-qualification First Aid at Work
• Paediatric First Aid
• Emergency First Aid at Work

Whether you're booking onsite training for your business or attending an open course at our Shildon training centre in County Durham, you can be confident you’re learning the most up-to-date, evidence-based first aid techniques.

Need some first aid advice, or want to book a first aid course?

Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

We deliver regular open courses at our Shildon Business Centre in County Durham and offer onsite first aid training for businesses across the North-East. 

From Darlington to Durham, Easington to Eaglescliffe, South Shields to Sedgefield and beyond we offer training to businesses, schools, colleges, nurseries and individuals, providing H.S.E. (Health and Safety Executive) compliant training.

If you’re an employer in the construction industry, remember that CITB grants may cover up to 70% of your training costs.

Website: www.helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk

Email: info@helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk 

Call us: 01388 417303

CITB Info: www.citb.co.uk

Resuscitation Council UK: https://www.resus.org.uk/about-us/news-and-events/rcuk-publishes-guidelines-2025