Emergency aid

Take a look in your medicine cabinet. Does it contain everything you might need if you were, for instance, to suffer a bump, cut or burn? What about if you had an allergic reaction or were bitten by an insect? Or you just needed painkillers for a headache or a pulled muscle?

Most people these days have the odd painkiller and packet of sticking plasters kicking around the home or office. But having a fully stocked first aid kit could be far more useful – or, in extreme cases, even a life saver.

And the good news is everything you need for a first aid kit is available at your local pharmacy.

The contents of a first aid kit may well vary, depending on your personal health circumstances, workplace and environment. There are, however, a number of accepted basics that every good first aid kit should contain. Here's a list recommended by the NHS of what your basic first aid kit should look like:

Assorted waterproof plasters

Most small, minor wounds such as cuts and grazes can be washed with water, padded dry and sealed with a waterproof plaster. Blue plasters are useful in situations where you need to see if they have fallen off – when you're preparing food, for instance.

If possible, keep a few hypo-allergenic plasters in your first aid kit, as a small number of people are allergic to the adhesive used with normal plasters. If you have children, you might also find sticking plasters that have pictures of cartoon characters useful.

Sterile eye pads (2)

These are useful for use with minor eye injuries – for instance, if someone has dirt or grit in their eye (but it's not embedded in the eye). The pad should be placed lightly over the eye and secured with a bandage wrapped around the head. This helps to protect the eye until you can get advice from a doctor or other medical professional.

Crepe bandage (1)

Crepe bandages come in rolls and are useful for sprains and strains – usually an ankle or wrist. After treating the injury with an ice pack to reduce swelling (see page xx for details of how to apply the RICE principle in the event of an injury), wrap the bandage securely around the affected area.

Alternatively, you could keep tube-shaped support bandages in your first aid kit. These are designed to support injuries and may be easier to apply than bandages. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable product. Elasticated sports support products may also come in handy if you do lots of sports, for instance, and are susceptible to strains, sprains and other injuries.

Triangular bandages (4)

Triangular bandages are often used to make a sling in the event of an arm injury or to keep a limb elevated when you need to prevent blood loss.

Sterile dressing pads (8)

If a wound is too big or too serious for a sticking plaster, you can use a sterile dressing pad instead. Apply the pad so that it covers the wound, then wrap the bandage (which is attached to the pad) around the area, and tie to secure. In the case of severe wounds, always seek medical advice after you have applied the dressing.

• Keep six medium and two large sterile dressing pads in your first aid kit.

Sterile gloves (2 pairs)

Disposable gloves not only protect an injury from any dirt or bacteria that may be on your hands, but they also protect you against cross-infection if you're giving first aid to someone who's bleeding. Make sure you have the right size to fit you – or if more than one person uses your first aid kit, keep a stock of two or more different sizes (sterile gloves come in small, medium, large and extra large sizes).

Scissors

You'll need a pair of scissors to cut bandages, dressings or clothing – ask your pharmacist to recommend a pair of safety scissors, which help prevent skin being cut if you use them to cut clothing to get at a wound or injury.

Other handy gadgets to keep in your first aid box could include tweezers, which help remove splinters and bee stings; and safety pins, which can be used to secure a bandage or sling. A thermometer could also come in useful if you need to check whether or not someone has a high temperature.

Alcohol-free wipes (6)

Wipes are useful for cleaning minor cuts and grazes, especially if you don’t have any water available (always use water if you're near a tap rather than a wipe, though wipes are acceptable when you don't have water). If you do use wipes,  make sure they are disposed of correctly.

You may also want to consider keeping a small bag of cotton wool or balls, some cotton buds and even a small roll of cling film, which can be used to wrap burns and keep the injury from becoming infected.

Tape

It's also a good idea to keep some adhesive surgical tape in your first aid kit, as it can help keep dressings in place. Like all the other items on this list, adhesive tape is available at all good pharmacies.

Finally, a basic first aid kit does not necessarily contain medicines, but depending on your circumstances you may want to include one or two. These might, for instance, include painkillers (both adult and children's types), antiseptic lotion/cream/gel, antihistamine cream and/or tablets for allergic reactions, and calamine lotion for sunburn and skin rashes

Watch and learn

Having a first aid box is one thing, but knowing exactly what to do in an emergency is something else. If you've never done a first aid course – or if you don't have a first aid manual that's already been well thumbed – there are now different ways of learning.

You can, for instance, learn about first aid on the internet. The British Red Cross has first aid tips and how-to videos on its website: www.redcross.org.uk

Alternatively, read first aid advice from St John Ambulance at www.sja.org.uk

Both The British Red Cross and St John Ambulance also organise first aid training courses in the workplace as well as a wide range of courses for the public. To find out more, call the British Red Cross on 0844 871 8000 or search for a St John Ambulance training course in your area by visiting www.sja.org.uk