Roles and responsibilities of the emergency first aider
This domain tests whether you understand the first aider’s role as a trained responder, not a clinician. The exam looks for safe boundaries: act within your training, obtain consent where possible, prioritise immediate care, summon professional help, and hand over clearly. It also tests awareness of the employer’s duties and the first aider’s duty to check equipment and report deficits.
Core rules and concepts
- Scope of practice: provide immediate first aid, prevent deterioration, and call 999 or 112 when needed. Do not diagnose, prescribe, or perform techniques you have not been trained in.
- Consent: introduce yourself, explain what you intend to do, and obtain consent from a conscious casualty. For an unconscious casualty, treat under implied consent and act in their best interests.
- Duty of care: act reasonably, stay with the casualty if it is safe, and do not abandon them without handing over to someone equally or more competent.
- Medication: help a casualty take their own prescribed medication, such as an asthma reliever or adrenaline auto-injector, but do not administer someone else’s medication.
- Employer duties: provide adequate first-aid equipment, trained personnel, and information for staff. The first aider checks the kit, reports used or expired items, and follows the organisation’s recording policy.
- Confidentiality: share casualty information only with those who need it for care or investigation.
Worked example
A warehouse colleague collapses near a loading bay. The first aider confirms the scene is safe, introduces themselves, and asks, “Can I help you?” The casualty is unresponsive. The first aider delegates: one person calls 999, another fetches the AED, and a third clears space. They check breathing, start CPR when instructed, and record the timeline. Reasoning: the first aider does not try to diagnose the collapse; they organise help, use trained skills, and preserve a factual record for handover.
Traps that cost marks
- Moving a casualty before checking danger or without a clear reason.
- Giving a casualty someone else’s medication or advising a specific dose.
- Leaving an unresponsive casualty alone to search for equipment.
- Discussing the casualty’s condition with uninvolved colleagues.
- Failing to record care or to report used stock.