Oxford now has six publicly accessible bleed-control kits after two new emergency cabinets were installed outside East Oxford Community Centre and shops in Littlemore.
At a glance
| New locations | East Oxford Community Centre and the shops on St Nicholas Road in Littlemore |
| Total across Oxford | Six publicly accessible bleed kits |
| What they are for | Helping a bystander control life-threatening bleeding before emergency services arrive |
| How to access one | Call 999 and request an ambulance. The ambulance service can provide the cabinet access code |
| What is inside | Tourniquets, gauze, trauma dressings, chest seals and gloves |
| First action | Call 999, follow the call handler’s instructions and apply firm direct pressure if it is safe to do so |
Two emergency bleed kits have been installed in East Oxford and Littlemore, expanding public access to potentially life-saving first-aid equipment across the city.
The new cabinets are outside East Oxford Community Centre, on the corner of Cowley Road and Princes Street, and near the shops on St Nicholas Road in Littlemore.
They are intended for situations involving catastrophic blood loss, when immediate action by a member of the public could help keep an injured person alive until paramedics arrive.
Although the installations form part of work highlighting the impact of knife crime, the equipment can be used following any life-threatening bleed, including one caused by a serious road collision, workplace accident or power-tool injury.
Where Oxford’s six public bleed kits are located
| Location | Area |
|---|---|
| Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre | Blackbird Leys |
| Barton Community Centre, Underhill Circus | Barton |
| St Nicholas Road shops | Littlemore |
| Blackbird Leys Road shops | Blackbird Leys |
| East Oxford Community Centre | Corner of Cowley Road and Princes Street, East Oxford |
| Templars Square, Between Towns Road | Cowley |
The kits are held in secure external cabinets in a similar way to some public-access defibrillators.
They are available for emergency use even when the building beside the cabinet is closed, but the cabinet cannot simply be opened without authorisation. A member of the public should call 999, request an ambulance and tell the emergency call handler that a bleed kit is nearby.
How to access and use a bleed kit
Anyone faced with life-threatening bleeding should call 999 immediately and follow the instructions given by the ambulance service.
The call handler can provide the code needed to unlock one of Oxford’s cabinets and guide the caller through the appropriate response.
The kit is not a replacement for professional medical care. Its purpose is to give a bystander equipment that may help control blood loss during the critical period before an ambulance arrives.
What to do if someone is bleeding heavily
Call 999: Ask for an ambulance and describe the location and severity of the bleeding.
Use the phone on speaker: This allows you to continue helping while listening to the emergency call handler.
Apply firm direct pressure: If it is safe, use a sterile dressing or clean non-fluffy cloth and press firmly on the wound.
Do not remove an embedded object: Apply pressure around it and follow instructions from the ambulance service.
Use the bleed kit as directed: Follow the instructions inside the kit and any guidance provided by the 999 call handler.
Stay with the casualty: Continue monitoring them and maintain pressure until professional help arrives.
St John Ambulance says signs that bleeding may be life-threatening include blood pumping from the wound, blood rapidly soaking through dressings, or bleeding that cannot be stopped or slowed by firm pressure.
Its full guidance is available through the St John Ambulance life-threatening bleeding page.
What is inside the cabinets?
Oxford City Council says each kit contains specialist first-aid equipment including tourniquets, gauze, trauma dressings, chest seals and protective gloves.
Different pieces of equipment are intended for different types of injury. Members of the public should therefore follow the written instructions and advice from the emergency call handler rather than attempting to use unfamiliar equipment without guidance.
Direct pressure remains one of the most important immediate actions in many bleeding emergencies. A tourniquet may be required for catastrophic bleeding from an arm or leg, but it must be applied correctly and should not be loosened once in place unless instructed by a medical professional.
Bleed kits are not only for knife injuries
The installation event focused on the effects of knife crime, but bleed kits can be used in a wider range of emergencies.
Life-threatening bleeding can result from a stabbing, serious road traffic collision, power-tool accident, industrial injury or another incident involving major trauma.
That means the cabinets are community first-aid resources rather than equipment reserved for one particular type of crime.
A person does not need to establish how an injury happened before calling for help. The priority is to make the scene as safe as possible, contact the ambulance service and follow its instructions.
Launch event explored the impact of knife crime
The installation at East Oxford Community Centre was marked by a free performance of Motherhood, a solo show written and performed by Claire Nelson.
The production explores the effect of knife crime on parents, while the event also featured Stories That Hit Home, a collection of pieces written and performed by local people whose lives have been affected by knife crime.
Both performances are set in Oxford and draw on real events and lived experiences.
People attending the event were also able to see a bleed kit up close and learn how the equipment could be used during an emergency.
Claire said funding from Thames Valley Police for the Stories That Hit Home project had helped make more publicly accessible bleed kits possible.
She said: “We want people to realise that anyone can use these kits to help someone suffering from severe bleeding before professional help arrives.”
Council says every second counts
The installations form part of Oxford City Council’s wider community-safety work.
Councillor Lubna Arshad, Cabinet Member for a Safer Oxford, said she hoped the equipment would never be needed but welcomed the additional locations.
She said: “In an emergency, every second counts.
“The Council is proud to be expanding the locations of these bleed kits across the city, and to be working to help make Oxford safer for everyone.”
The council says the purpose of the network is to give people access to essential first-aid equipment during the minutes before trained emergency responders reach the scene.
Why rapid action matters
Severe blood loss can cause shock, unconsciousness and death if it is not controlled quickly.
Public-access equipment can shorten the time between an injury occurring and first aid beginning, particularly when someone nearby is willing to call for help and act on the instructions they receive.
First-aid training remains valuable, but people should not assume they are powerless because they have never used a bleed kit before.
The council says instructions are provided inside the kits, while emergency call handlers can explain what to do. Applying firm direct pressure with material already available can also begin before the cabinet is opened.
FAQs
Where are the two new Oxford bleed kits?
They are outside East Oxford Community Centre, on the corner of Cowley Road and Princes Street, and near the shops on St Nicholas Road in Littlemore.
How many publicly accessible bleed kits are there in Oxford?
There are now six, according to Oxford City Council.
How do I open a bleed-kit cabinet?
Call 999 and request an ambulance. Tell the call handler that a bleed kit is nearby. The ambulance service can provide the cabinet access code.
Do I need first-aid training to use one?
Oxford City Council says members of the public can use the kits. Call 999 first and follow the instructions provided by the emergency call handler and inside the kit.
What should I do before the kit is opened?
If it is safe, apply firm direct pressure to the wound using a sterile dressing or clean non-fluffy cloth. Put the 999 call on speaker so you can continue helping while receiving instructions.
Are bleed kits only intended for stabbing incidents?
No. They may be useful following any life-threatening bleed, including injuries caused by serious accidents, road collisions or power tools.
What equipment is inside?
The Oxford kits contain tourniquets, gauze, trauma dressings, chest seals and gloves.
Is a bleed kit the same as a defibrillator?
No. Both may be stored in public-access cabinets, but a defibrillator is used during cardiac arrest. A bleed kit contains equipment intended to control severe blood loss.
Where can I read the council announcement?
The full announcement is available through Oxford City Council’s bleed-kit update.
