Crossing Boundaries: The History of First Aid in Britain and France, 1909 - 1989

Project Description

Not only is the history of first aid a complex and fascinating topic in its own right, allowing the boundaries between medical practice and safe public practice of healthcare techniques to be understood, but a thorough study of the history of first aid is timely, with the potential for impact beyond academia. Over the past decade there has been a considerable increase in demand for access to medical practitioners and this crisis in the provision of the National Health Service has resulted in a critical debate for policymakers and politicians in twenty-first-century Britain. Additionally, the subject of heroic interventions in emergency situations has been the focus of a 2015 Act, encouraging people to act as Good Samaritans without fearing lawsuits. Can individuals and communities be encouraged to use first aid techniques safely in order to reduce waiting lists for general practitioners and accident and emergency departments? Yet, despite the direct relevance of this project for present day concerns, beyond episodic histories of first aid amongst certain groups, historians have not investigated the Page 2 of 10 Date Saved: 15/04/2015 08:20:44 Date Printed: 16/04/2015 09:52:01 Outputs The main outputs of the research Ethical Information Provide details of what they are and how they would be addressed [up to 1000 characters] broader history of British first aid, nor the extent of the activities of the British Red Cross, one of the leading charities in organised first aid.