First Aid and Automated External Defibrillator(AED)

FIRST AID

First-Aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a lay person to a sick or injured patient until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care past the first aid intervention. It generally consists of a series of simple and, in some cases, potentially life-saving techniques that an individual can be trained to perform with minimal equipment.

The key aims of first aid can be summarised in three key points

(1) Preserve life - the overriding aim of all medical care, including first aid, is to save lives.

(2) Prevent further harm - also sometimes called preventing the condition worsening, this covers both external factors, such as moving a patient away from a cause of harm, and applying first aid techniques to prevent worsening of the condition, such as applying pressure to stop a bleed becoming dangerous. 

(3) Promote recovery - first aid also involves trying to start the recovery process from the illness or injury, and in some cases might involve completing a treatment, such as in the case of applying a plaster to a small wound.

First Aid Boxes are located in the Lobby/Reception areas of teaching buildings and are kept stocked by the H&S Section; please click on the following link (pg 6) to view Contents of a First Aid Box. (NOTE: Each department is responsible for providing and refilling its own first aid box/boxes)

The University has undertaken a programme of training UL Staff as Occupational First Aiders.

AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR (AED)

The primary goal of the UL AED Scheme is to assist in the case of on-site suspected cardiac arrest amongst UL students, staff and visitors.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED): A computerised medical device that analyses heart rhythm to detect cardiac arrest and delivers an electric shock to the heart if necessary.

Cardiac Arrest: A significant life-threatening event when a person's heart stops or fails to produce a pulse.

The university maintains a panel of suitably trained operatives  and a number of AED units are deployed across the campus.

The locations have been chosen as both strategic and reasonably secure. Each AED location is identified by prominent signage. Each AED unit is located in a wall mounted cabinet of a distinctive type.  The cabinet contains the AED unit in a convenient carry case.

Please click link for Automated External Defibrillator (AED) - Inspection Record.

Please click Link for UL AED Procedure.

The UL Medical Emergency Response Procedure can be seen here