What to Do When Someone Has a Seizure in the United Kingdom | Quick Actionable Ideas and Survival Tips

UNITED KINGDOM — If someone has a seizure, stay calm, note the start time, move dangerous objects away and protect their head. Do not restrain their movements, put anything in their mouth or give food or drink. When jerking stops, help them into the recovery position if appropriate and stay with them. Call 999 if it is their first known seizure, it lasts longer than five minutes, another begins before recovery, or they have serious injury or trouble breathing.

Not every seizure looks like convulsions. Some people become briefly confused, unresponsive, unusually still or move without awareness. The correct first aid focuses on keeping them safe and watching the time rather than trying to force the seizure to stop.

Do these 12 things now — urgent numbered seizure checklist

Check immediate danger and start timing. Note when the seizure starts; time matters for deciding whether emergency help is needed.
Stay calm and protect the person from injury. If falling, guide them gently away from hazards when possible.
Clear hard or sharp objects nearby. Move furniture, hot drinks, tools or other dangerous items away rather than moving the person unnecessarily.
Cushion the head. Put a soft folded jumper, towel or similar item beneath it if safe.
Do not hold the person down. Restraining jerking movements may cause injury.
Never put anything in the mouth. Do not insert fingers, spoons or a bite block. A person cannot swallow their tongue.
Do not give food, water or pills during the seizure. Wait until they are fully alert and able to swallow safely.
Loosen tight clothing around the neck if safe. Avoid interfering with breathing or placing yourself in danger.
When the jerking has stopped, place them on their side when appropriate. The recovery position helps keep the airway clear if they are unresponsive but breathing normally.
Call 999 for emergencies. A first known seizure, more than five minutes of seizure activity, repeated seizures without recovery, serious injury or breathing problems requires urgent ambulance attention.
Monitor breathing and responsiveness. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally after seizure activity, call 999 and follow dispatcher-led CPR instructions.
Stay and reassure them until fully recovered. Explain what happened in calm language and give the ambulance team the duration, symptoms and any known care plan.

If a seizure is happening now, use the checklist and call 999 where the emergency conditions apply. The explanations below are for carers, teachers, friends, colleagues and bystanders preparing to respond.

First: recognise what a seizure may look like

A tonic-clonic seizure often involves the person becoming unconscious, falling, stiffening and then making repeated jerking movements. Breathing may look unusual for a short time. The event is frightening to witness, but forcing the arms or jaw to stop moving does not treat it.

Other seizures are less dramatic. A person may stare, stop responding, make repetitive movements, pluck at clothing, smack their lips or walk around without awareness of their surroundings. These are sometimes described as focal seizures with impaired awareness. They can still create risks from traffic, hot objects, stairs or water.

A person having a seizure may be unable to follow ordinary questions or remember what happened. Do not take confusion or unusual behaviour as deliberate refusal to cooperate. Stay near them, use short calm instructions and guide them away from immediate hazards without grabbing or restraining them.

Many seizures stop spontaneously. However, first-time seizures, prolonged seizures and repeated seizures without recovery are medical emergencies. An individual epilepsy care plan may provide additional instructions, including when trained carers should use prescribed rescue medication.

Why you should note the starting time

Both NHS ambulance guidance and Epilepsy Action identify a seizure lasting more than five minutes as an important emergency threshold. A person watching a seizure may feel that it lasted much longer than it did, so use a clock or phone timer when possible.

The time is also valuable for clinicians. Tell responders the moment you first noticed symptoms, the duration of jerking or altered awareness, whether the person became fully responsive between events, and the approximate time recovery began.

Do not start the timer only when you decide it has become serious. If the first sign was an unusual stare or loss of awareness before a convulsion, report that sequence accurately. Avoid guessing at times you did not observe.

If it is the person’s first known seizure, call 999 without waiting five minutes. The five-minute threshold is not permission to delay emergency help for all seizure situations.

Protect the head and clear the space

Move sharp furniture, hot liquids, glass and other objects that could injure the person. If they are on the ground, put a folded jacket or other soft material beneath their head without trying to hold the head still. Loosen tight neckwear when safe.

Do not pull a person by the arms or legs during convulsions. Do not lift them into a chair or carry them to a different room unless there is an immediate danger that cannot be moved, such as active traffic, fire or a hot cooking surface.

If a crowd gathers, ask people to step back and give the person space. Assign someone to make the emergency call when needed and another person to keep the route clear for responders. Filming the event for social media is inappropriate; any recording intended for clinical advice should respect the person’s privacy and their care team’s guidance.

Why nothing should go in the mouth

A widely repeated myth says a person having a seizure might swallow their tongue. This is false. Trying to put a spoon, fingers, cloth or other object into the mouth can injure teeth, lips or rescuers and may obstruct breathing.

Do not try to force the jaw open or administer food, drink or tablets while the person is convulsing or unable to swallow normally. Wait until full recovery and follow any medical instructions. Aspiration and choking create an additional problem.

This rule also applies if someone appears to be biting their tongue. Protective positioning and observation are safer than attempting to hold the mouth open.

What to do when the seizure stops

Once jerking movements stop, assess breathing and responsiveness. If the person is unconscious or not fully responsive but is breathing normally and no other serious injury prevents it, turn them gently on their side into the recovery position. This can help fluids drain and keep the airway open.

Do not leave immediately because the jerking ended. The person may feel confused, frightened, exhausted, sleepy or embarrassed. Stay until they are fully recovered, explain what happened and avoid overwhelming them with questions.

Some people need a period of quiet rest. Do not give food or water until they are alert enough to swallow safely. If breathing is abnormal, they are not regaining consciousness, or another seizure begins, call 999 or continue following the dispatcher.

A person who has a familiar brief seizure under an established epilepsy action plan may not always need an ambulance, provided they recover normally and there are no additional danger signs. Follow that specific plan. Bystanders who do not know the person or history should not assume that a first seizure is routine.

Exactly when should someone call 999 in the UK?

Epilepsy Action and NHS ambulance guidance advise calling an ambulance when:

This is the person’s first known seizure.
The seizure lasts longer than five minutes or longer than the person’s prescribed emergency threshold.
One seizure follows another before the person fully recovers.
The person is seriously injured during the event.
There is difficulty breathing after the seizure.
The person fails to recover consciousness as expected, or another immediate danger exists.

Call 999 sooner if a person is in an especially dangerous situation, such as seizure activity in water, near traffic or following a serious injury. Give the exact location, time of onset, visible symptoms and breathing status.

For a non-emergency question after a recovered seizure, the NHS 111 service or the person’s established epilepsy team may offer guidance. However, do not redirect a genuine emergency to a routine appointment.

What should you tell the emergency operator?

A useful example: “A person is having a seizure at [address]. The shaking began at [time], they [are or are not] breathing normally, and this [is or is not] their first known seizure.” The operator may ask for age, whether another seizure occurred, medicines and injuries.

If you do not know the person’s epilepsy history, say so. Do not claim the seizure is caused by epilepsy simply because the person has convulsions. Seizure-like activity can have several causes that require professional assessment.

Stay on the line and follow instructions. If the person becomes unresponsive and does not breathe normally, the dispatcher will explain CPR and may ask another person to obtain an AED.

Focal seizures: when someone wanders or acts confused

Some people can walk, perform repetitive movements or appear to carry out tasks during a seizure while not fully aware of danger. They may not respond reliably to your voice. The immediate goal is to guide them away from traffic, steep stairs, a cooker, water or other hazards.

Speak calmly and avoid sudden grabbing or shouting. Do not restrain the person just because their actions seem strange. Keep an appropriate distance, protect them from nearby hazards and observe how long the episode lasts.

When awareness returns, explain what you observed without blaming or embarrassing them. If the episode was a first seizure, lasted beyond the emergency threshold or had other danger signs, seek urgent medical help.

What if the seizure happens in a wheelchair?

Epilepsy Action has specific wheelchair seizure guidance. Where safe, apply the wheelchair brakes, leave a suitable seat belt or harness in place, support and cushion the person’s head and avoid forcibly moving them onto the floor.

Do not try to restrain their arms or legs. Move nearby obstacles away. Once activity stops, assess breathing, maintain a safe airway position appropriate to the person’s posture and equipment, and follow their care plan or emergency dispatcher.

Wheelchair users may have seating supports or medical devices that need individual instructions. Carers and schools should practise an agreed plan in advance rather than improvising a transfer during the seizure.

If a child has a seizure at school

Children with diagnosed epilepsy may have an individual healthcare plan specifying seizure first aid, rescue medication, family contacts and ambulance thresholds. Teachers should know where the plan is stored and which staff members are trained to use prescribed medication.

If a seizure occurs, clear classmates away from the immediate area, cushion the child’s head, time the event and protect the airway when the jerking stops. Do not send the child walking unaccompanied to the nurse during active seizure activity.

If it is the child’s first known seizure, lasts longer than five minutes, is repeated without recovery, causes serious injury or has breathing difficulty, call 999. Contact parents after emergency care has begun rather than using a routine phone call to delay urgent treatment.

A seizure associated with fever may have a different medical explanation from epilepsy. Parents and carers should seek appropriate paediatric guidance; do not assume all first-time childhood convulsions are harmless.

Seizures in a shop, restaurant, train or bus

In a restaurant, clear hot drinks, glass and chairs from the area. Ask staff to contact 999 when the criteria are met and send someone to meet emergency responders. Do not put a rolled napkin in the person’s mouth or force water on them.

On a train or bus, alert staff and protect the person from hard edges and falls. Do not attempt to drag a convulsing person off a moving vehicle. Follow transport staff and ambulance guidance about safe access and stopping.

In a street, guide nearby traffic away if safe. Moving a person is generally avoided except when there is immediate danger, so concentrate on protecting their head, clearing the surroundings and contacting emergency services.

What if the person is pregnant?

A new seizure during pregnancy, particularly with severe headache, high blood pressure symptoms or other concerning signs, may have causes that require urgent obstetric assessment. Call 999 and tell the dispatcher that the person is pregnant, with gestation if known.

Do not assume a seizure during pregnancy is the same as the person’s established epilepsy pattern. Follow emergency directions and avoid giving food, drink or unprescribed medication. Ensure the emergency team knows the pregnancy status promptly.

Prescribed rescue medication and seizure care plans

Some people with epilepsy are prescribed an emergency medicine and have a written plan explaining exactly when trained carers should administer it. Such treatment should only be given according to the person’s prescription, training and agreed care plan.

A bystander who has never been trained should not attempt to administer a medication simply because it is in a bag. Follow 999 dispatcher instructions and provide responders with the medicine name, dose and any known treatment history.

Do not stop the person’s ordinary epilepsy medicine without medical advice. After an unexpected or unusual seizure, the person may need a review with their epilepsy team or GP.

Common mistakes that make seizures more dangerous

Do not restrain convulsing arms or legs.
Do not put anything in the mouth.
Do not try to pull out the tongue.
Do not move the person unless immediate danger makes it necessary.
Do not give water, food or oral pills before full recovery.
Do not assume every seizure is caused by known epilepsy.
Do not ignore the starting time.
Do not wait five minutes before calling for a first known seizure.
Do not leave before the person has recovered enough to be safe.
Do not share public photographs or videos of a vulnerable person during a seizure.

Preparing family, friends and colleagues

Learn the person’s individual seizure type and emergency care plan if they have one.
Know where prescribed rescue medication is kept and who is trained to use it.
Practise cushioning the head, clearing hazards and timing the event.
Keep a medical ID and current emergency contacts accessible if the person wishes.
Make arrangements for safe bathing, swimming, cycling and work activities with professional advice.
Brief school or workplace carers on the individual plan.
Understand when 999 is necessary and who can help contact emergency services.
Record seizure dates and observations when advised by the care team.
Maintain privacy and explain plans to the person rather than making assumptions about their abilities.
Seek medical review after new, changed or concerning episodes.

Frequently asked questions

Should I call 999 for every seizure?

Not always. A person with established epilepsy who has a familiar brief seizure and fully recovers may have a care plan that does not require an ambulance. Call 999 for a first known seizure, more than five minutes, repeated seizures without recovery, serious injury, breathing problems or another emergency.

Can someone swallow their tongue during a seizure?

No. Do not put anything into the mouth or attempt to hold it open.

Should I hold a person still during jerking?

No. Move hazards away and cushion the head; restraint can injure them.

When do I put the person on their side?

For a typical tonic-clonic seizure, help them into the recovery position after the jerking has stopped if they remain unresponsive but breathe normally, unless injury or their individual care plan requires a different approach.

Is a five-minute seizure always dangerous?

Seizures continuing beyond five minutes require urgent professional help. Call 999 as advised by NHS and Epilepsy Action, and follow dispatcher instructions.

What if the person seems confused afterwards?

Stay with them, speak calmly and explain what happened. If they are not recovering as expected or have other emergency signs, call 999.

Can I give a seizure medicine from their bag?

Only when the person has a prescribed rescue-medication plan and you are trained and authorised to follow it. Otherwise contact emergency services.

The first aid rule to remember

Time the seizure. Protect from injury. Do not restrain. Put nothing in the mouth. Turn onto the side after jerking stops when appropriate. Stay until recovery. Call 999 for first, prolonged, repeated or dangerous seizures.

Official UK sources

Independent UK first-aid guide. Reviewed 6 November 2026. It cannot replace an individual’s epilepsy care plan or emergency medical instructions.