Knife crime UK: six in 10 don’t know first aid for stab wound - according to new research

• The first annual anti-knife crime coalition has taken place in London today.
• New research from St John Ambulance has revealed that six in ten people wouldn’t know what first aid to give someone bleeding out after being stabbed.
• The health charity is aiming to teach 50,000 these life-saving skills during their Save a Life September campaign.

The first annual anti-knife crime coalition has taken place in London today attended by Idris Elba, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. The Luther actor is well-known for speaking out against knife, he is sitting on the coalition alongside community leaders and anti-knife campaigners.

The government is aiming to half knife crime in the next 10 years and is in the process of banning “zombie knives”, with people in England and Wales having until September 23 to surrender these items to police stations before the law changes on September 24.

According to new research from St John Ambulance, six in 10 people wouldn’t know what first aid to give to someone who was bleeding out after being stabbed. Conducted by Censuswide, the survey of 1,000 people also found regional variations in knowledge of first aid care for knife crime, with the North East of England having the lowest number of people knowing how to treat a serious bleed at only 24% compared to 47% in East England.

The research found that more than a quarter (26%) of those who responded had never learned any first aid, whilst less than four in 10 (38%) saying that they would know how to treat a serious bleed and nearly half (49%) that they would feel panicked if they came across a health emergency.

This was despite nearly three in 10 (28%) saying they themselves had experienced a severe bleed in some way, either as a first aider (11%), casualty (9%) or as a bystander (8%).

While half (50%) of those surveyed knew correctly to prioritise putting pressure on a wound to stem blood loss, others wrongly focused on raising the injured limb, placing the person in the recovery position, attempting to clean the wound or tilting the person’s head back.

Whilst worryingly, a third (33%) incorrectly believed that you should never cover an open wound with worn clothes to stem a bleed, despite this sometimes being the only option to save a person’s life.

To combat these figures, St John Ambulance is aiming to teach 50,000 people these life-saving skills in their new campaign Save a Life September. They will be holding teaching demonstrations for members of the public, along with online events and free pocket guides, as well as sharing valuable information on how to respond to cardiac arrest and choking.

The research showed these were the three first aid topics people most wanted to learn about, with two-thirds (66%) saying severe bleed first aid should be taught due to the rise in knife crime.

St John Ambulance head of community education, Carl Makins, said: “This September we plan to show thousands of members of the public how to save lives, focusing on the first aid that they most want to learn.”

Makins continued: “It’s vital more of us within our communities know how to respond to the life-threatening situations which many of us will sadly face in our lives. Tragically, due to the rise in knife crime, it feels particularly relevant to be teaching people how to treat severe blood loss.”

Adding: “It’s so often those quick actions taken by people who find themselves first on scene in the critical minutes before an ambulance arrives, that make the difference between life and death.”

What to do if someone is stabbed, according to charity StreetDoctors

Medical student Laura McCormick volunteers for Street Doctors. The charity equips young people across the city with the skills to save someone’s life if they have been stabbed. Here, Laura explains the key things to remember using the ASALERT technique:

Ambulance

The most important thing you can do if someone has been stabbed and is bleeding is to call an ambulance. The hospital staff and everything they can do to intervene is what’s going to save someone’s life.

Safety

You need to make sure you’re not endangering yourself by going to help this person. For example, if they’re in the middle of a busy road, or there are electrical wires around - you need to make sure you’re not putting yourself at risk by going to help.

Apply pressure

Apply pressure around the wound. If an object is still in the body, never remove it. It may seem counterintuitive, but the object acts as a plug and is essentially keeping the blood inside the body. If the object has been taken out, you should never put it back in.

Lie down

Your legs have around two pints of blood in them. By lying someone down, their body doesn’t have to work against gravity to get the blood over to the head and into the chest - where the most vital organs are.

Elevate legs Elevating the legs helps the blood pour down into the head and the chest.

Reassure

Reassure the person. By doing this, you might be able to bring their heart rate down and this will stop them from losing blood as quickly.

Temperature

Regulating temperature is a really important step. Blood acts as your thermoregulatory system. If you imagine the body as a radiator, the blood is the radiator fluid within it - it’s taking warmth all around the body. If you’re losing blood, you’re losing warmth. If someone is outside, it’s important to put something under the body as the concrete floor will soak up the heat really quickly. You can find out more information about a Save a Life September event near you on St John’s Ambulance website.