First aid is the earliest care given to an injured or sick person and is sometimes required in an emergency before medical help arrives.

First aid can be as simple as caring for someone with a minor injury such as a minor graze or sprained ankle, or keeping them company until help arrives.

However, sometimes first aid requires you to act before medical assistance arrives. This might involve helping a person into the correct position to be able to breathe more easily, or in serious cases, giving someone CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or using a defibrillator.