Revealed: Salford is the tenth most interested area in learning about first aid in the UK

• Walsall takes the top spot for the area most interested in first aid information in the UK.
• Salford tenth most interested.
• Inverness is second most interested, with Wrexham in third.
• London is the area searching for first aid information the least.

A new study has revealed that Walsall is the area searching for first aid information the most in the UK.

First aid training experts Onsite First Aid Training used Google search data to analyse searches for various first aid related keywords across all major UK cities to determine how interested each area was in learning about first aid.

1. Walsall

Walsall takes the top spot for the areas searching for first aid information the most, with 7,723 searches per 100,000 people. The West Midlands town has shown a keen interest in learning more about first aid, which will go a long way to reducing the number of people in the UK who have yet to undertake first aid training. As recently as 2017, the British Red Cross found that only 1 in 20 UK adults “would feel confident, knowledgeable and willing to help someone who is bleeding heavily, is unresponsive and breathing, or is unresponsive and not breathing”.

2. Inverness

Inverness is second for the areas looking for first aid information the most, with 6,955 searches for first aid information per 100,000 people. The Highlands city is also the area of Scotland most interested in learning more about first aid. Increasing people’s first aid knowledge could be potentially lifesaving, since up to 59% of deaths could have been prevented if first aid was given before the emergency medical services arrived, according to the British Red Cross.

3. Wrexham

In third place with 6,089 searches per 100,000 people is Wrexham. Wrexham is third in the UK and the top area in Wales searching for first aid information. Learning first aid skills does not have to be intimidating; fundamentally, first aid skills are simple to learn and potentially lifesaving, since you can never know when they will be needed.

4. Hereford

Hereford comes fourth for the areas searching for first aid information the most, with 6,061 searches per 100,000 people. The importance of proper first aid would not be lost on the historic cathedral city either: for every minute that someone is in cardiac arrest without CPR being administered and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) being used, the chances of survival drop by 10%.

5. Wigan

Wigan is fifth for the areas searching for first aid information the most, with 5,475 searches for first aid information per 100,000 people. The historic Lancashire town is no stranger to learning about first aid from these figures, which will help bridge the knowledge gap in when to apply first aid.

6. Bath

With 5,138 searches for first aid information per 100,000 people, Bath comes sixth. Along with other areas of the UK, the ancient spa town was searching for first aid courses and first aid training. First aid best practices are constantly updated, and depending on how long ago you learned your first aid skills, it might be worthwhile to book a refresher course to keep those potentially life-saving skills fresh.

7. Mansfield

In seventh, with 5,093 searches for first aid information per 100,000 people, is Mansfield. The interest from Mansfield will help ensure more people learn first aid and maximise the chances that someone with potentially life-saving skills is available in an emergency.

8. Chester

Chester comes in eighth for the areas searching for first aid information the most, with 4,709 searches per 100,000 people. This high degree of interest in learning first aid skills would mean the people of Chester will be better equipped to respond in an emergency.

9. Lincoln

Lincoln is ninth, with 4,593 searches per 100,000 people. Lincoln’s learning about first aid will prepare them with various life-saving skills, including how to assist someone that is choking.

10. Salford

Rounding out the top 10 in tenth is Salford, with 4,572 searches for first aid information per 100,000 people. The people of Salford appreciate the importance of first aid from these search figures, which will hopefully go a long way to increasing the survival rate of out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK.

On the other end of the scale, the study also found that London ranked last out of the 73 UK areas that were investigated. The UK capital was the area searching for first aid information the least, with only 589 searches per 100,000 people.

A spokesperson from Onsite First Aid Training had this to say about the study’s findings: “The proper application of first aid can mean the difference between life and death. It is a critical part of responding to a medical emergency to buy time until a medical professional can see the patient. Despite this fact, 38% of UK adults have received no training in CPR, and many people in the UK don’t feel confident that they could provide these life-saving interventions if the situation required it.

First aid training and refresher courses will give that confidence to act in an emergency, and the people of Walsall seem to agree. Walsall placing as the area searching for first aid information the most in the UK shows there is much interest in closing that confidence gap by learning those crucial first aid skills either for the first time or by updating existing knowledge.”

Table showing the number of searches for first aid related terms by area