Public Access Trauma Kits - PAcT

New First Aid Kits Will Save Lives – PAcT

The government has announced a new kind of first aid kit - Public Access Trauma Kits (PAcT). PAcTs are first aid kits holding lifesaving equipment that can be used by anyone, regardless of their level of training, to help save a life whilst waiting for the emergency services.

PAcTs are aimed at increasing the survivability rate of the public following serious incidents such as terror attacks, stabbings and other major incidents. They have been developed as a direct result of counter-terrorism work but will save lives in many scenarios. Following the news that the threat level in the UK has been raised from substantial to severe (15 November) public resilience and first aid/life-saving skills have been brought to the fore.

These kits will save lives in the unfortunate event of serious incidents. The kits are designed to be placed in areas where the general public have access (exact details to be confirmed) and it will be up to businesses and organisations to install them. Key locations are expected to be railways stations, arenas, football stadiums and other areas with large crowds in the first instance, but it is hoped that these kits will be more widely available over time across the country.

The kits will need to be clearly accessible to the public and have clear instructions on how to use them. Ideally they will be located alongside defibrillators (which we have now to come to recognise) where any member of the public can use and get to them if needed.

Everyone should have an awareness of a PAcT First aid Kit, from members of the public visiting a shopping centre, through to the owner of a small business who has a PAcT First Aid Kit as part of their first aid provision. The PAcT standards set out the minimum requirements for the kits, BUT they may also contain additional items from a prescribed list. The contents have been designed following consultation with experts in medicine, first aid and counter-terrorism policing. They will contain trauma grade bandages, a tourniquet and an aide-memoire with simple easy to follow instructions for applying a tourniquet. The contents can also be used by an injured person who is able to treat themselves.

PAcT First Aid Kit supports the treatment of those with major bleeding and those who are unresponsive with absent or abnormal breathing.

Christopher Dunkerley, Director First Aid For All said “We welcome these new PAcT kits and we look forward to seeing them in workplaces and public venues across the UK. At this stage it’s not clear what and how first aid training will change as a result of the new PAcT. That will depend largely on what the HSE and other official bodies decide but we will make sure we add serious bleeds to our standard first aid training. Our current 1 day Emergency First Aid at Work course now (2024) covers basic tourniquet awareness and our 3 day first aid training at work course already covers tourniquet use, which would be incredibly useful for anyone using the new PAcT First Aid Kits”. We will be adding more resources here on the new PAcT first aid kits as and when it is made available by the government and official bodies.

More information can be found on the Police Protect website.

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