Bailey-James Watson, 10, used First Aid training taught at school by City Health Care Partnership CIC’s I.M.P.S. (Injury Minimisation Programme in Schools) team to save his four-year-old cousin from choking.
Bailey is a pupil at Thorpepark Academy in Hull and, along with the rest of his class, had the training in October 2018. Then at Christmas he was playing with his cousin and noticed something was wrong.
“We’d just finished our tea and we had some sweets and I heard Finley choking,” he said. “When we did the training we got taught two ways to stop choking and I did the first way: I whacked him on the back between his shoulders with the heel of my hand. He was coughing a lot and he went really red; I was terrified but I hit him about 10 times until the sweet was dislodged.”
Bailey’s mum, Emma, said, “I’m so proud of him. I wouldn’t have known what to do but Bailey just used his training. His cousin didn’t understand what had happened “
Donna Shipp, Hull I.M.P.S. co-ordinator, is very impressed with Bailey’s quick thinking. “Bailey has shown how very brave and intelligent he is and the I.M.P.S team are so proud that he was able to use his skills in such a positive way. He remembered exactly what to do when he realised his young cousin was choking, preventing a potentially life-threatening situation. It is stories like this that prove the effectiveness of I.M.P.S. A huge well done to Bailey!”
Watch a film here about I.M.P.S. in Hull.