NO ONE wants to see someone collapse to the ground in front of them.

But if it happens to you, a little bit of know-how can help you step in and even save a life. 

And who knows when you might need to help someone you love, or a stranger on the street.

Medical Director for St John Ambulance, Dr Lynn Thomas, explains exactly what to do if you spot someone collapse…

1. Don’t walk by

One of the most important things we want people to do is to do something. 

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So if you see somebody collapse, please don't walk by, go over and see if there's anything you can do to help. But make sure you're not going to put yourself in any danger first.

2. Look for a response

Check they can hear you or if they're responsive. 

You can gently push them on their shoulders and ask, ‘Are you okay? Can you hear me?’

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If there's no response and they're not breathing normally, then you need to consider starting straightaway with chest compressions, because they could be in cardiac arrest. 

If they don't respond but are breathing normally, then you need to turn them into the recovery position, which is a way of turning somebody onto their side to help keep the airway open.

3. If they could be in cardiac arrest…

Make sure you dial 999, put your phone on speakerphone, and start chest compressions. 

The call handler will tell you what to do. If you know where the nearest defibrillator is, don't stop doing compressions to get it, but try and get somebody else to go and get it for you.

If there isn’t one, the emergency services on the other end of the line will tell you what to do and will get a defibrillator to you as quickly as possible. 

Keep doing chest compressions, you need to do them at about 100 a minute. I always say to do it to the beat of Staying Alive or Baby Shark apparently works too.

Do not do rescue breaths.

4. If it’s a child…

The only slight variation really is if it's a child. 

In a child it's more likely the cause of cardiac arrest is actually of a problem with the lungs, the respiratory system.

Give rescue breaths, but if you haven't been taught how to do it, that's not a problem. 

Please just do the chest compressions. Recognise there's  a problem, call 999 and start chest compressions and help will come very quickly. 

5. Ideally, be prepared in advance

Anything you do will be helping, but the important thing is to know what to do in advance.

Go to the St John Ambulance website where there's a lot of really helpful YouTube videos that you can watch.

I always recommend people overlook these in advance, for instance, if you’re waiting for a bus or a train, when you have a few minutes spare.

We've also got a first aid app you can download which is free. 

Want to learn life-saving skills? Click here to book a first aid course, join one of St John’s youth programmes (for ages 5 to 25) or become a first aid volunteer.

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St John’s training will give you essential lifesaving skills and the confidence to use them, and includes mental health first aid and wellbeing courses.

St John is a charity and needs donations to help train and equip its volunteers, to save more lives. Donate at sja.org.uk and follow them using #AskMe

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