Fainting, collapse, recovery position, and choking

A simple faint, or syncope, commonly occurs in public-facing settings and can follow pain, fear, prolonged standing, dehydration, or a stressful procedure such as vaccination. Not every collapse is a simple faint. Pharmacy teams must consider stroke, arrhythmia, seizure, severe allergic reaction, hypoglycaemia, or other serious causes.

What simple fainting often looks like

• the person feels dizzy or light-headed
• they become pale, clammy, or sweaty
• they may slump or briefly lose consciousness
• recovery is usually quick once they are flat and blood flow to the brain improves

Immediate management of fainting

• Lay the person flat: if possible, raise the legs.
• Loosen tight clothing: especially around the neck if needed.
• Monitor breathing and responsiveness: do not assume they are safe until recovery is clear.
• Call 999 if recovery is delayed: NHS advice says urgent help is needed if they cannot be woken within 1 minute, have not fully recovered, have trouble with speech or movement, have chest pain or palpitations, are injured, or have seizure activity.

Recovery position

If a person has a decreased level of responsiveness but does not need CPR, place them in a side-lying recovery position if it is safe to do so. This protects the airway. Do not move someone into the recovery position if they have agonal breathing or if trauma makes movement unsafe.

Choking at the pharmacy counter

Adults may choke on food, water, or occasionally tablets and capsules. Resuscitation Council UK advises an escalating approach:

• Ask if they are choking: if they can cough effectively, encourage coughing.
• If the cough is ineffective: give up to 5 back blows.
• If back blows do not work: give up to 5 abdominal thrusts.
• If choking continues: call 999 and keep alternating 5 back blows with 5 abdominal thrusts.
• Do not use blind finger sweeps: these can push the object further in.
• If the person becomes unresponsive: start CPR and ensure 999 has been called.