Change Should Make Things Simpler, Not Harder
In October 2025, the British Resuscitation Council released updated evidence-based recommendations for first aid providers, accrediting bodies and training organisations across the UK and Northern Ireland.
They suggested a 12-month timeline for trainers to update presentations, manuals and course materials, but I decided to implement the changes immediately in my own teaching.
So far, the feedback has generally been positive.
One of the major changes involves the format of the Primary Survey.
For those unfamiliar with it, the Primary Survey is the process a first aider uses in the first few moments after an accident or medical emergency to assess both the situation and the casualty.
For decades, first aiders were taught the simple and familiar DR ABC:
Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation.
Often remembered as “Doctor ABC”, it was straightforward, easy to teach and, most importantly, easy to remember under pressure. It gave inexperienced learners a simple framework for carrying out potentially life-saving checks during an emergency.
The British Resuscitation Council now recommends changing this to:
DR C ABCDE — Danger, Response, Catastrophic Bleeding, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure.
Now, before anyone accuses me of resisting progress, I completely understand why some of these additions have been made. The increased focus on catastrophic bleeding reflects developments in trauma care and public bleed-control training, while the inclusion of disability and exposure encourages a more thorough assessment of the casualty.
Those are positive developments.
However, when I first joined the British Red Cross many years ago, one principle was repeatedly emphasised to me: first aid should be made as simple as possible.
There are two very good reasons for that.
Firstly, the simpler the information is, the more likely people are to remember it when they are placed under stress in a genuine emergency.
Secondly, most people do not enjoy learning highly technical or complex information. Maintaining concentration during first aid training can already be challenging, particularly for people who are nervous or lacking confidence.
My concern is not whether the new system is clinically more thorough. It probably is.
My concern is whether members of the public — ordinary people with limited training — will reliably remember and apply it in a real emergency situation at work, at home or out in public.
And that question matters.
Because safety information is only useful if people can recall it when panic sets in.
Outdoor Swimming and Recent Tragedies
Over the recent bank holiday weekend, reports emerged of multiple fatalities linked to open-water incidents across the country, involving both children and adults as temperatures rose above 30°C in some areas.
The combination of unusually hot weather and the half-term holidays inevitably draws people towards rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Sadly, every year we are reminded how dangerous open water can be, even for strong swimmers.
Just a few days ago, my 16-year-old daughter, Maisy, went swimming with her friends at a local river.
She is an excellent swimmer. She spent years with a local swimming club and can comfortably swim distances far beyond what I could manage myself.
Before she left, I warned her to be careful.
“The water is still cold,” I told her. I asked her to stay in the shallower areas and avoid venturing too far into deeper sections where currents can become dangerous.
She probably ignored most of that advice and swam far beyond where her feet could touch the riverbed — because that is exactly what teenagers often do.
And honestly, that is not entirely a bad thing.
Children should be outdoors. They should be socialising, exploring, enjoying good weather and spending time away from screens.
We regularly worry that young people spend too much time indoors, isolated behind phones, tablets and computers. So when they do choose to get outside and enjoy nature with friends, that should be encouraged rather than condemned.
The more important question is whether enough young people truly understand the risks of open water and what to do if something goes wrong.
I genuinely do not know how much swimming education children receive through schools anymore.
When I was younger, swimming lessons were organised through school at the local leisure centre. Does that still happen widely today, or has it become something parents are increasingly expected to arrange and pay for themselves?
Perhaps local councils, the Environment Agency and other organisations also need to become more proactive in preventing these tragedies.
Many of these locations have likely been popular swimming spots for generations. If that is the case, are there adequate warnings in place? Are flotation devices or throw lines available nearby? Are safer swimming areas clearly identified away from strong currents, underwater hazards or deep drop-offs?
I think we need to be careful not to punish young people simply for doing what young people have always done: spending time with friends, seeking adventure and making the most of good weather.
Instead, we should focus on creating a more positive and practical culture around open-water safety — improving education, providing safer swimming areas, installing emergency flotation equipment and ensuring water quality standards are properly maintained.
Real change should be based on lessons learned.
And when change does happen, it should make things better, clearer and safer for the people expected to rely on it.
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