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
Lifestyle
Organisation, routines and everyday practical skills. The test applied to everything here is whether it still works on a bad week, not whether it looks good in a photograph.
812 guides
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 readHow much validity does my passport need for the country I am visiting?
Two entirely separate tests — how recently the passport was issued, and how much validity is left on the day you arrive — and why passing one says nothing about the other.
beginner15 min3 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 readHow do I tell when a pet needs a vet today?
The signs that mean phone now rather than wait until morning, and what to have ready when you call — with no attempt to tell you what is wrong.
beginner10 min3 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 readWhat actually voids travel insurance?
Claims are rarely refused on exotic exclusions. They fail on disclosure, on an unreported theft, on alcohol, and on treatment arranged without calling the insurer first.
beginner18 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 do I sit at a desk without ending up sore?
The order to adjust things in — chair, then desk, then screen, then keyboard — and why sitting still is the real problem.
beginner30 min2 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 keep towels soft?
Why towels go hard and scratchy, and the washing changes that keep them absorbent and soft without fabric conditioner.
beginner15 min2 min readWhat foods are poisonous to dogs and cats?
The everyday human foods that are genuinely dangerous to dogs and cats, what each one does, and why the response is always a phone call to a vet rather than anything at home.
beginner10 min5 min readDoes my cat or dog have to be microchipped?
Both are now compulsory in England, and the part that catches people out is not the chip — it is keeping the database entry current, which is a separate legal duty.
beginner15 min3 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 readWhat documents do I need before I travel abroad?
The document check to run when you book and again before you go, what has to be original, and what to copy and store separately.
beginner45 min5 min read