Festivals are joyous occasions that bring people together for music, fun, and celebration. Ensuring the safety and well-being of attendees is paramount, and a crucial aspect of this is having the right first aid cover in place. In the UK, The Purple Guide serves as a comprehensive reference for event organisers, offering guidelines for health and safety at events. In this post, we'll explore the first aid cover needed for a festival, drawing insights from The Purple Guide.

Understanding The Purple Guide: The Purple Guide is a collaborative effort between industry professionals and experts, providing authoritative guidance on health, safety, and welfare at music and other events. It is recognised as a benchmark for planning and delivering safe events, including festivals.

First Aid Cover Requirements:

1. Risk Assessment: Begin by conducting a thorough risk assessment of the festival site and activities. Identify potential hazards, assess the number of attendees, and consider the nature of the event.

2. Medical Provision Levels: The Purple Guide outlines different levels of medical provision based on the size and complexity of the event. Festivals fall under various classifications, depending on factors such as crowd size and potential risks.

3. Medical Services: Depending on the assessed risk level, medical services may range from basic first aid provision to more advanced medical care. The Purple Guide recommends appointing a competent medical provider who is CQC registered and has qualified medical professionals on-site, such as paramedics or doctors, especially for more significant festivals.

4. First Aid Points: Establish first aid points strategically across the festival site. These points should be easily accessible and well-marked, ensuring attendees can quickly locate assistance. It is beneficial to consider visibility when attendees arrive, distance and aspect to the main speaker stack, and access for ambulances to take patients to and from the medical point to hospital.

5. Communication and Coordination: Effective communication between first aid teams, event organisers, and emergency services is essential. Establish clear protocols for reporting incidents and ensure that all staff members are aware of emergency procedures. Larger events should have a liaison with the NHS ambulance service so that 999 calls can be intercepted and local paramedics directed directly to incidents.

6. Medical Equipment: Adequate medical equipment must be available at first aid points, including basic supplies like bandages, plasters, and pain relievers. For more significant events, more advanced medical equipment may be required. This might include facilities that look similar to an Accident & Emergency department and have things like urinalysis, drug testing, prescription-only medication, monitoring, and in some cases, blood testing or even onsite X-ray or MRI/CT imaging.

7. Transportation and Evacuation: Plans should be in place to transport and evacuate patients to medical facilities if necessary. Ensure that designated evacuation routes are well-defined and have a contingency plan in case of unexpected emergencies. On all but the smallest, low-risk events, site ambulances should be capable of transporting patients to the hospitals with sufficient resilience so as not to impact the on-site cover.

Conclusion: Planning the first aid cover for a festival is critical to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees. By referencing The Purple Guide and following its recommendations, event organisers can establish appropriate first aid provisions tailored to the specific needs of their festival. Prioritise the well-being of festival-goers by implementing thorough first aid measures and creating an environment where safety is a top priority. Making safety a top responsibility and appointing a reliable medical provider will reduce the risk of harm to individuals and litigation and make running the event less stressful.