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First aid for self-harm resource

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This resource contains information which may be useful for performing care or advocacy work, or describes overall policy and principles.
This resource is a draft - it is undergoing review to fact check and improve it prior to adoption. It should only be used if you cannot find other options, and you should err on the side of caution while using it.
This document needs review by medical professionals before it is adopted. If you are a medical professional, please use this form to provide feedback More documents in need of medical review can be found here .
This document is seeking review by people who have lived experience in the area it covers, please use this form to provide feedback More documents in need of lived experience review can be found here .

This is a resource for people who are self-harming, or people who are supporting someone who self-harms. It covers some basic first aid tips which may be relevant to common forms of self-injury. You might also want to consult our ‘Safer self-harm resource’ for information about how to reduce the risk of serious injury.

These guides set out some signs that there may be a life-threatening risk, requiring an ambulance. They also cover signs that the injury may not heal without long-term damage unless you go to A & E or seek other medical treatment. You can still call an ambulance in these situations if you don’t feel well enough to travel to hospital.

We recognise that many people may be concerned about the potential consequences of going to hospital after self-harming. This resource is intended to help you judge when the risks of not getting medical help may outweigh the risks of doing so.

If you are supporting another person to treat their injuries, it’s also important to remember the risks of disease transmission, and wear gloves while handling any bodily fluids.

This is not a substitute for first aid training and doesn’t qualify anyone to describe themself as a ‘first aider’.

First aid guides

See the following pages for more information about how to treat each kind of injury:

Going to A & E

If you’re concerned about how you might be treated at the hospital, you could take some steps to prepare for this and reduce the risks.

  • If you know you are likely to self-harm in ways that will need medical treatment, and think you may have difficulty communicating your wishes at the time, you could write an advance statement. This is a document setting out any information you want the doctors to know; for example:
    • What forms of treatment you do/don’t consent to
    • Which people you do/don’t want to be present
    • Whether you only want physical treatment or whether you want an assessment of your psychological needs.
    • Any environmental needs you would like them to be aware of (for example, if you find fluorescent lights difficult).

  • If you might have difficulty speaking when you arrive at hospital, you can also download cards with tick-boxes to indicate what kind of injury you have and where it is.

  • In addition to physical treatment, the hospital should offer you a ‘psychosocial needs assessment’ to see what followup support should be offered. However, the NICE Guidance on self-harm says that this should not be compulsory:
    • ‘People who have self-harmed should be offered treatment for the physical consequences of self-harm, regardless of their willingness to accept psychosocial assessment or psychiatric treatment’. (NICE Guidance 1.1.1.9 )
  • If you only want to receive physical treatment, they will assess whether they think you are an ongoing risk to yourself. To minimise any risk of being forced to stay in hospital against your wishes, it can be helpful to emphasise that you
    • Don’t plan to hurt yourself if they let you leave
    • Don’t have specific methods in mind
    • Don’t have easy access to self-harm tools
    • Do have a strong support network