Have you seen the new Bleed Control Kit outside Nationwide Building Society on Marlow High Street?

Martyn’s Law, formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, became law on 3 April 2025. It requires many public premises and events with capacities of more than 200, including schools, to take reasonable measures to protect the public and prepare for emergencies. Its aim is to save lives, and many venues are now installing bleed control kits and training staff to respond to severe bleeding and other injuries. As Nationwide demonstrates, this preparation is not limited to just large venues.

Taking action to keep the public prepared for emergencies

Nationwide has installed bleed control kits at branches across the UK, including its Marlow High Street branch. Making life-saving equipment readily available in local communities enables emergency services and members of the public to act quickly. This matters because, without immediate first aid, severe bleeding or cardiac arrest can be fatal within minutes.

Severe bleeding remains a leading cause of death following traumatic injury in the UK. In 2024/25, around 53,000 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument were recorded.¹

A Nationwide poll of more than 2,000 people highlighted gaps in community access to emergency equipment and confidence in using it:

• 87% would feel safer knowing life-saving equipment was available locally.
• 88% believe life-saving equipment should be as common as fire extinguishers, yet only 27% know where their nearest defibrillator is and just 9% know the location of their nearest bleed control kit.
• 89% want wider public access to bleed control kits because of rising knife crime.
• 56% would find equipment locations easier to remember if they were associated with a well-known brand.
• 97% believe free, local first aid training is important, and 77% would attend a free session nearby.

Despite strong support for life-saving equipment, public confidence remains limited: more than one in four people (27%) would not feel confident stopping a severe bleed.

So what is a Bleed Control Kit?

A bleed control kit is a specialist first aid kit for treating catastrophic blood loss caused by injuries such as deep stab wounds, severe cuts or amputations. In these emergencies, rapid action is critical.

Controlling blood loss quickly can save a life. A bleed control kit contains essential supplies for applying a tourniquet, dressing wounds and supporting resuscitation.

Stop life-threatening bleeding quickly and help save lives.

This bleed control kit is designed to be simple and intuitive, so it can be used by untrained members of public, with a tourniquet that can be easily fitted in just five seconds and a timer included so responders can see how long the tourniquet as been in place.

A trauma bandage and gauze help control blood loss and protect the wound. The kit also includes a resuscitation face shield and disposable gloves to reduce the risk of infection.

How should you respond to catastrophic arterial bleeding?

If someone has been seriously injured, follow these three steps:

1. Press firmly on the wound with both hands, one over the other. Maintain pressure with a dressing. If blood soaks through, place another dressing on top without removing the first.

2. Call 999 and if possible get someone to locate the nearest Bleed Control Kit.

3. Keep applying firm pressure until an ambulance arrives. Use a tourniquet if necessary as supplied in the Bleed Kit (or you can make your own as shown in our video).

What if an object is embedded in the wound?

Do not remove it, as this could worsen the bleeding. Apply pressure around the object instead.

What does it mean if the person looks pale, feels cold or becomes dizzy?

These signs may indicate shock, which occurs when the body is not receiving enough blood flow and can be life-threatening.

If you suspect shock lie the person down and raise their legs above heart level to help maintain blood flow to the brain and heart. Reassure them and keep them warm with coats or a blanket until emergency services arrive.

Train your staff on how to use a Bleed Control Kit?

If you would like us to train your staff at your workplace on how to use the contents of a Bleed Control Kit or deal with any catastrophic bleed in the workplace then Contact Us today. We can include this training as part of an Emergency First Aid at Work course or added onto any of our Paediatric First Aid Courses.

School pupils and youth groups will also benefit from this training. We use a wide range of props and equipment to practise realistic scenarios, making it fun and memorable, as seen in the above photos.

Sources:-

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/media/news/nationwide-installs-defibrillators-and-bleed-control-kits-at-all-605-branches-to-support-british-highstreets

Research:

• The research was carried out online by Research Without Barriers – RWB. The sample comprised 2,038 UK adults. All surveys were conducted between 10th April 2026 and 13th April 2026
• All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2023) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines)
• RWB is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and is fully compliant with The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018)

¹ 53K knife crime citation Knife crime statistics England and Wales – House of Commons Library