First Aid Kits and Medicine Cabinets

What should be in a First Aid Kit? And what should I keep in my medicine cabinet?

Having a fully stocked first aid kit at home can be important to be able to treat the most minor of injuries.

Here are some of the most important things to have in there:

• Different shapes and sizes of plasters
• Small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings
• Sterile eye dressings
• Triangular bandages
• Crepe rolled bandages
• Safety pins
• Disposable sterile gloves
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Alcohol-free cleansing wipes
• Sticky tape
• Thermometer
• Skin rash cream such as hydrocortisone or calendula
• Insect bite and sting cream
• Antiseptic cream
• Painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
• Antihistamine tablets
• Distilled water for cleaning wounds
• Eye wash and eye bath

What to keep in your medicine cabinet

Additionally, having a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home will mean you are well prepared to treat common ailments yourself.

This list, which has been recommended by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, will help you deal with most minor ailments.

• Pain relief such as aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen
• Antihistamines in either cream form or oral tablets to treat allergies and insect bites
• Oral rehydration salts are an easy way to help restore your body’s natural balance of minerals and fluid, and help your recovery
• Indigestion treatment will reduce stomach acidity and bring relief. They come as chewable tablets, tablets that dissolve in water, or in liquid form
• Sunscreen helps protect your skin from the risk of skin cancer
• A well-prepared first aid kit can help treat minor cuts, sprains and bruises, and reduce the risk of cuts becoming infected

Ask your pharmacy team for advice

You'll be able to find all of these items in your local pharmacy. Your pharmacy team can also help you with minor ailments such as aches and pains, sore throats, coughs and colds, bites and stings, earache, cystitis, teething, sore eyes, hay fever and lots more.

Most pharmacists also have dedicated consultation rooms. If you'd like a private conversation with your pharmacist, simply ask a member of the pharmacy team for a consultation. You won't have to discuss what it's about until you're somewhere more private.