How do I tell if someone is having a stroke?
The FAST test, the other symptoms it does not cover, why a stroke being painless is what makes people wait, and why symptoms that have stopped still need 999.
beginner7 min5 min read
Practical Skills
The things everyone is assumed to know already.
355 guides in Lifestyle
What are the signs of a heart attack, and what do I do?
What a heart attack actually feels like, why it is often not the dramatic version people expect, the position that helps, and the NHS advice on aspirin while waiting.
beginner7 min5 min readWhat do I do if someone collapses and is not breathing?
The two questions that decide everything — are they responsive, are they breathing normally — and what to do with each answer. Plus the gasping that is mistaken for breathing and stops people starting CPR.
beginner8 min6 min readWhy does my drawing of a face look wrong?
One error accounts for most of it: the eyes go too high. They sit halfway down the whole head, and almost everyone draws them in the upper third because hair hides the top of the skull.
beginner30 min5 min readHow do I recognise anaphylaxis and what do I do?
The signs that separate a severe reaction from a mild one, the immediate actions in order, the position that matters, and why a second auto-injector exists.
beginner7 min4 min readHow do I stop severe bleeding?
Direct pressure, and the two situations that change what you do: something embedded in the wound, and a dressing that soaks through. Plus the position that treats shock.
beginner7 min4 min readPharmacy, GP, 111 or 999 — which should I use?
A routing guide, not a triage tool: what each NHS service is for, what it can actually do, and where the referrals between them go.
beginner10 min3 min readSomeone has swallowed something harmful — what do I do?
The three things that actually help — ring, do not induce vomiting, take the container — and what to do while waiting, including for skin and inhalation exposures.
beginner7 min4 min readHow do I lift something heavy without hurting my back?
Plan the lift, get close, keep it close — and know when not to lift at all.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I put someone in the recovery position?
Why an unconscious person on their back is at risk, the sequence for rolling them onto their side, and what to watch for once they are there.
beginner6 min4 min readHow long do I cool a burn for, and when does it need A&E?
Twenty minutes of cool running water, within three hours, and nothing else on it. The categories that always need A&E, and why chemical and electrical burns are different problems.
beginner7 min5 min readWhat do I do if someone is having an asthma attack?
Sit them up, use the reliever inhaler at the right interval, and know the three triggers for 999. Plus what to do if the ambulance is more than ten minutes away.
beginner7 min4 min readHow do I find an NHS dentist taking new patients?
There is no registration with an NHS dentist in the way there is with a GP, which changes the whole approach — and there is a separate route for urgent problems.
beginner45 min3 min readHow do I use a fire extinguisher and what type do I need?
Which type for which fire, the PASS technique, and the far more important decision about whether to fight it at all.
beginner20 min2 min readSomeone has banged their head — when should I worry?
The NHS red flags that mean 999, the ones that mean NHS 111 or urgent care, and what looking after a minor head injury at home actually involves for the following twenty-four hours.
beginner8 min5 min readWhat do I do if someone has a seizure?
Protect the head, move the danger rather than the person, time it, and turn them on their side afterwards. What not to do, and the six circumstances that mean 999.
beginner7 min4 min readWhy does my drawing look flat?
Flatness is almost never a shading problem. It is a narrow value range, a uniform outline and a set of missing depth cues — four separate causes with four separate fixes.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy does my sewing machine tension keep going wrong?
Read the stitch, not the dial. Which thread appears on the wrong face tells you exactly which one is too loose — and the fix is usually not the tension dial at all.
beginner20 min7 min readHow do I register with a GP surgery?
You do not need proof of address, identification or immigration status to register with a GP in England — and knowing that is what gets people who have been turned away registered.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I tell heat exhaustion from heatstroke, and what do I do?
The four cooling steps, the thirty-minute rule that separates the two, and the specific signs that mean stop cooling and ring an ambulance.
beginner7 min4 min readHow do I tell if a bone is broken, and what should I do?
The signs that suggest a fracture, why a small break can hurt very little, and the difference between a 999 injury, an A&E injury and something NHS 111 can direct.
beginner7 min4 min readHow do I improve my sleep habits?
Building the routine and environment that support consistent sleep, and what to change first.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I order and manage repeat prescriptions?
The nominated pharmacy, the electronic prescription service and repeat dispensing between them remove most of the friction — and the running-out problem has a same-day answer.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I recognise hypothermia, and what should I not do?
The signs, including the ones in babies that look like calm, the four things to do while waiting, and the four warming methods that instinct suggests and the guidance rules out.
beginner7 min4 min read