Mini First Aid Merseyside

Cow parsley is a common plant in the UK, we are seeing it everywhere at the moment, but did you know that there is a similar, related plant, called Giant Hogweed, which is toxic and can cause severe skin blisters*, burns and even blindness?

Toxic components in the sap of leaves, stems, roots, flowers and seeds of Giant Hogweed can be transferred to the skin by touch, and they make skin super sensitive to sunlight, which can then cause rashes, burns and severe blistering.

NHS guidance is to wash the area of skin with soap and water as quickly as possible, keep it covered and seek medical advice.

If a burn appears, treat it as you would any skin burn:

• Stop the burn process as soon as possible.
• Cool the skin with cool running water for 20 minutes
• Cover the burn with cling film.
• Treat the pain from a burn with paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Please see your GP or call 111 if symptoms are severe or persistent.

Swipe the slides to see how to identify Giant Hogweed - if in doubt, do not touch and please contact the council if the plant is on council-owned land.

*Please note, we have not been able to source an image of how skin blisters due to hogweed would look on black or brown skin - if this has happened to you and you would like to share the image to help others understand how this presents, please DM us 💚

Front Slide Image credits:
Blister image: Dragan Marjanovic, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Hogweed Image: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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Every year, we hear stories of people losing their lives while swimming in the seas around the UK.

Some of these tragic deaths are attributed to rip tides or rip currents, as they are also known. Rip tides are strong currents of water that flow from the shore out to sea. They are powerful and quick enough to drag a person out to deeper water.

Rip currents can be challenging to spot. You can sometimes spot frothy or swirling water forming a channel from overhead, but this is more difficult to see from the shoreline.

What to do if you find yourself caught in a rip tide:

⚠️ Call loudly for help.⚠️ If you have something buoyant to hold on to like an inflatable or a surfboard, keep tight hold of it.
⚠️ DO NOT swim against the current towards the shore. This is often people’s instinct, but typically people are not strong enough to swim against a rip current.
⚠️ Swim parallel to the shoreline so that you swim out of the rip current and not against it.
⚠️ Once the rip current is no longer pulling you, swim towards the shore. Switch to swimming parallel again if you begin to feel a pull again.
⚠️ If or when you can stand, wade rather than try to swim to anchor your body.

Water safety at the beach tips:

⚠️ Choose a beach that is patrolled and monitored by lifeguards. They will look out for rip tides and be your first responders if anything happens.
⚠️ Always swim between the red and yellow flags, as this area has been designated safe to swim.
⚠️ If you see a wind sock that shows a strong wind blowing in the direction of the sea, do not take inflatables into the sea as they could be dragged out to deeper water.
⚠️ If you see anyone else in trouble, alert the lifeguards or call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

You can find out lots more about water safety and Drowning Prevention Week at Royal Life Saving Society U K

49% of UK accidental drownings occur between May and August. Are you confident your child would know what to do if they fell into water or how to stay safe when playing near water?

Scroll through for some sobering statistics and facts about child drowning from

Drowning is largely preventable. Please take care to supervise small children at all times when in or near water and educate your teenagers about the dangers of swimming in rivers, lakes and estuaries.

Here are a few simple precautions and tips for water safety this summer ☀️💦

Come along and say hi at St Helen Mercure Hotel today 11am-2pm for the Baby Fayre Merseyside Event 💚

The most common symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children are:

🚽 Toilet: Going to the toilet a lot to pass urine, bed wetting by a previously dry child or heavier nappies in babies. Getting up in the night to go to the toilet.
💦 Thirsty: Being really thirsty and not being able to quench the thirst. Your child may ask for a drink more often, finish drinks very quickly or you may notice they generally drink more.
💤 Tired: Feeling more tired than usual. Having less energy than normal, not playing as often, less energy for sports
🪞 Thinner: Losing weight or looking thinner than usual.

If your child has any of the signs or symptoms of diabetes, you should take them straight to the doctor and ask for a blood glucose test.

For more information, check out our blog, link in the comments.

This week, we’re supporting the Child Accident Prevention Trust campaign to help children lead active, healthy lives, safe from serious injury.

Child Safety Week is all about promoting accident prevention. Empowering families to make simple changes without feeling overwhelmed. We do this by sharing the really practical, simple things we can all do to keep children safe, and we'll be sharing information and tips this week across our socials.

You can download Child Accident Prevention Trust Parent’s Pack for bite-sized facts and safety tips on the main accident risks to children, you can find the link to this in the comments or head to their website or social media for all the details 💚

💚I am an asthma Mummy💚

With around 1 in every 11 children living with asthma in the UK, chances are you or someone you know has a child with this condition.

Scroll through for information, and if you would like to hear from a mother with lived experience of a child with asthma, head to wherever you listen to podcasts and search Family Health by Mini First Aid. Episode 23 is jam-packed with advice and guidance 💚