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Do you know the difference between angina and heart attack? Angina is where the coronary arteries (the blood supply to the heart) are narrowed. This means that the heart has a poor blood supply. A heart attack is where one or more coronary arteries are blocked, resulting in part of the heart muscle not receiving […]

Staying well in winter doesn’t just mean physically it means keeping mentally well too. This can be really difficult with the darker nights, short days, seemingly endless rain and miserable weather – but there are positive steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing. Below we explore ways to ensure we can keep […]

The HSE published the most recent statistics in November 2023 (check out HSE key figures here), highlighting an alarming figure of 0.9 million workers that are reported to be suffering from work related stress, depression or anxiety, either new or long standing in 2022/23. Of these workers, 338,000 are suffering from a new case. For […]

“Mountains cover around 27 percent of the Earth’s land surface and host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. They supply freshwater to an estimated half of humanity as well as being home to an extraordinary range of plants and animals, and to many culturally diverse communities with different languages and traditions. From climate regulation […]

As the weather gets colder, many people notice that their Asthma symptoms get worse. For many Asthma sufferers winter is a tough season. Why does the cold weather affect Asthma? Put simply, when it is cold, the air is dryer and colder. Breathing in cold, dry air irritates the airways in the lungs, which react […]

100 years ago, Frederick Banting and John Macleod won a Nobel Prize for discovering the treatment which has gone on to save millions of lives around the world – insulin.  Insulin is what is used in the medical treatment of Diabetes for people who do not correctly produce this hormone in their own body. Whilst no […]

A burn injury is for life. A staggering 30 children per day attend hospital due to a burn caused by a hot drink. In 2022 a total of 7,335 children and 8,520 adults were burned or scalded severely enough to need admission to hospital (these figures doesn’t include those seen in A&E and discharged home). […]

Did you know you can text 999?  – You MUST register your mobile phone first… I’m a defib guardian. This means that I check our local community AED defib is operational and log this on The Circuit website for the ambulance service to know it’s ‘rescue ready‘ should they need to send anyone in our […]

What age group do you think Stroke affects? Unless you’ve had some training you’re probably wrong! Stroke can affect any age group and approximately 400 children a year suffer from a Stroke in the UK … this is why we cover this important topic on our Paediatric First Aid courses. The FAST campaign has been […]

It can be tempting on a hot day to take a dip; however, a British Government report published in 1977 identified that 47% of open water deaths occured within just 2m of safety and 55% occurred within 3m of safety¹. Below are some facts about the effect of cold water on the body: Learning more […]

We regularly receive queries regarding First Aid provision from those working in Early Years – these are equally applicable to parents/grandparents as well as to nurseries and schools. Here are some of the more recent ones which were shared in our May 2023 Newsletter: The plaster myth issue: ‘ Hi Helen, in regard to plasters […]

This video was made at Brenntag during their Health and Safety Awareness week in 2022. Helen was on site delivering back to back Automated External Defibrillator Awareness (AED) sessions and we quickly realised that with staff operating over multiple sites and some working remotely, the best way to make this accessible to all was to […]

A precautionary recall on all Emerade Adrenaline Auto-Injectors (AAIs) of 300 microgram and 500 microgram doses has been actioned as during a design assessment conducted by the manufacturer some there is a potential for some 300 microgram and 500 microgram Emerade pens to fail during use after having been dropped. For full details of this […]

For many smaller common injuries, some First Aid knowledge and a first aid kit can enable you to sort things out yourself. Attending a First Aid course can give you confidence in dealing with emergencies, so get yourself booked onto a course. If you need some extra help, there are a number of options open […]

Well, we’ve had a call today as I write this from a candidate postponing their training as they are positive with Covid-19, and as restrictions lift it will still be an issue – particularly for those vulnerable members of our community. We would therefore ask our clients to help us in keeping all of our […]

For younger children, gel packs from fridges (not freezer compartments) or a wadge of wet paper towels cooled under the cold tap are generally sufficient to cause constriction of blood vessels, reduce leaking of blood from capillaries and lessen internal bleeding/bruising (a clean wet tea towel works well at home!). These are ‘cool-packs’ or ‘cool […]

Sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and magnesium are all electrolytes which occur in the body.  Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. They are contained in your blood, urine, tissues, and other body fluids. Electrolytes are important because they help: You get electrolytes from the foods you eat and the fluids you […]

Mental Health is as important as physical health. On Tuesday 23 March 2021, the First Aid (Mental Health) Bill was passed to a second reading and whilst the content of the bill is not yet available at the time of writing this article, it is thought that it will become compulsory for businesses to have a certain […]

Due to Covid-19 it is recommended that if an adult requires CPR then chest compression only CPR is performed with a cloth covering over the face (see my earlier blog article). However, there are some situations where it is appropriate to perform rescue breaths even where there may be a small risk of covid-19 transmission. […]

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have clarified the position of First Aid Training during the latest coronavirus lockdown. In England the policy position of the HSE is that first aid training required to comply with health and safety or other legislation can continue to take place under relevant coronavirus restrictions in England. All possible […]

We have today recevied updated guidance from one of our Ofqual Awarding Organisations regarding the delivery of First Aid Training during the lockdown period which begins on 6 January 2021. In summary: Training Guidance Whilst the restrictions and guidelines vary between each nation, the requirements for training are common in each, so our guidance at […]

The HSE has this week announced changes to the validity of existing First Aid qualifications due to the backlog of people needing First Aid Traning and the reduced capacity of many training organisations who are delivering courses with fewer candidate numbers in order to ensure that courses are covid-secure. The details are as follows: First […]

This is an overview of the procedures that we have put in place to ensure the safety of both candidates and staff during first aid training courses. If you have any questions about our procedures or about particular course types, please do not hesitate to contact us at Underwood Training HQ. * where a qualification […]

I’m happy to announce that we are back delivering First Aid training courses. Our trials of Covid-19 secure First Aid at Work Requalificaiton and Paediatric First Aid courses these past two weeks have gone really well and we’ve recieved fabulous feedback from our clients. A few pictures from these courses – during training and the […]

For those of you working in adult workplaces, you will recall from an earlier blog that the HSE announced a further extension to Emergency First Aid and First Aid at Work qualifications that expired on/after 16 March 2020 to 30 September 2020. This is excellent news as currently the advice for the First Aid Industry […]

There are now glimpses of the light at the end of the tunnel, so I hope that this is enabling you to feel a bit more positive about the future. We are hoping soon to be able to rebuild and get First Aid Training courses up and running for you again, and as there has […]

To update you on where we are currently at in terms of First Aid Training, this is the latest information that we have received from our industry. The HSE has announced via its website today 26 May 2020: ‘Requalification training in England: The first aid training industry in England is confident that enough courses will […]

This advice was passed on by a nurse via Facebook. Having previously worked as a Respiratory Physiotherpist, it is excellent advice not only for the current Coronavirus situation,  but also in general for flu-type bugs/colds in the future, hence the reason for sharing in our blog: ADVICE FROM A NURSE IF YOU GET THE CORONAVIRUS […]

The HSE has updated their information regarding First Aid cover during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following information is from the HSE’s website: If first aid cover for your business is reduced because of coronavirus or you can’t get the first aid training you need, there are some things you can do so that you still comply […]

On our First Aid Training courses many candidates prefer this way of rolling a casualty into a ‘recovery position’, as it is easy on the rescuers joints. However, with COVID-19 in mind, it is the best way of rolling a casualty over in my view in terms of keeping some distance away from the casualty’s […]

In a nutshell: If you have to do this in an emergency the Resuscitation Council (UK) recommend you seek advice from NHS 111 afterwards  The CPR protocol for children has NOT changed – it is likely that the rescuer knows the child and ventilations are essential for children as they are more likely to initially […]

Great news for First Aiders who are being affected by the current Coronavirus situation in respect to requalification courses – a 3-month extension to your certificate if it expires on or after 16th March 2020. This will also cover Paediatric First Aid qualifications. HSE statement in full: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is aware that […]