A common medical issue among children is an allergic reaction - these can range from mild to life-threatening depending on the allergy. Steps should be taken to prevent children with allergies from coming into contact with allergens, but this isn’t always possible and accidents happen.

Acting decisively and promptly in an allergy situation can prevent serious harm or death.

While you may assume that cardiac arrests are reserved for older people, this simply isn’t the case. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death among people under 30 in the UK, including school children.

An estimated 270 children die every year in the UK from SCA, emphasising the need for awareness and equipment to be present in all schools.

Children are incredibly resilient, and while it may seem like they can bounce back from anything there are some medical emergencies that often strike children and need immediate attention.

When working in an environment with children present, it is vital that someone can recognise these conditions and be able to act decisively and confidently to put treatment in place.

Lifesaving first aid is now set to be included in the national school curriculum following years of campaigning.

It may be long overdue, but compulsory first aid training in all schools in the UK is finally becoming a reality, as The Department of Education recently announced that all children will be required to learn First Aid under various proposals that have been put forward by the government.