First Aid

The NHS suggests a simple core: plasters in a range of sizes, sterile dressings and bandages, tape, tweezers and scissors, antiseptic, disposable gloves, a digital thermometer and simple painkillers such as paracetamol. Keep it somewhere dry that adults can reach easily but children can't, and check the dates now and then. We stock the essentials and can help you put a kit together.

Wash your hands (or use hand sanitiser), then clean the wound by rinsing it under running tap water. Pat it dry with a clean towel and cover it with a plaster or sterile dressing to keep dirt out. If it's bleeding, press on it firmly with a clean pad and raise the injured area until the bleeding stops.

Our Careway range covers the common needs: clear plasters are discreet, fabric ones flex with knuckles and joints, washproof ones stay put through handwashing and showers, sensitive plasters suit delicate or easily irritated skin, and cushioned ones add padding over blisters and pressure points. None of them are medicated — they simply protect the wound while it heals.

Get medical advice if bleeding doesn't stop after about 10 minutes of firm pressure, the wound is deep or gaping, there's something embedded in it, it's an animal or human bite, or you see signs of infection — spreading redness, swelling, warmth or pus. For infected insect bites and stings, eligible patients aged 1 and over can be assessed free under NHS Pharmacy First.

Soap and water is best, especially when your hands are visibly dirty. When you're out and about, an alcohol-based hand gel is a good stand-in — both our Wellab pocket tube and the 500ml moisturising pump gel are 70% alcohol. Rub it over every part of your hands, including between your fingers and around your thumbs, until they feel dry.