Fainting is when someone passes out for a short time. While it can be scary to witness, it is not usually anything serious, although it is advisable for the person to see their GP.
What to do
If you are with someone when they faint, keep calm. If possible, lay them on their back and elevate their legs. The exception to this rule is if someone faints during pregnancy, particularly if they are more than 28 weeks pregnant. Then it is best to lay them on their side. Usually they will wake up in 20 seconds or less.
Knowing what to do when someone faints is a useful skill in both your professional and personal life. It is worth looking out for emergency first aid training courses run by reputable providers like https://www.tidaltraining.co.uk/emergency-first-aid-training-courses to give you the skills to confidently face incidents like fainting and other medical incidents.
Should I call 999?
It is not usually necessary to call 999 if someone has fainted. Although they should consult their GP, it does not usually require emergency medical care.
However, there are circumstances when fainting should be treated as an emergency, and calling 999 is necessary. This is usually when there are other symptoms in addition to fainting. These include if the patient hasn’t woken up after a minute, they are not breathing, they are struggling with speech or movement, they have chest pains or heartbeat irregularities, they suffer a seizure or a fit, or if the faint has caused a serious injury. Fainting when exercising or lying down is also an emergency.
