Health, hygiene and first aid are very important aspects of your camp which you should bear in mind from when you first start planning your camp. You need a designated First-Aider as well as a QM; assuming that you are taking overall responsibility for running the camp, this means a MINIMUM of three adults, more if yours is a large unit as you need to keep to the regulation girl/adult ratios.

Your First-Aider should have a recognised and up-to-date First Aid qualification - Red Cross, St. John Ambulance or similar - and take responsibility for all aspects of health care and hygiene while at camp. This can include everything from patching up cuts, bruises and insect stings to the delighful but necessary task of supervising the emptying and cleaning of chemical toilets!

First Aid
should be just that - AID until any necessary medical support arrives. You are not expected to be a brain surgeon! Hopefully - and usually - your camp will be relatively trouble free and you will not require the intervention of a doctor. Most minor ailments and injuries can be dealt with easily providing you have a well-stocked first aid box.

Our first-aid box contains the following items :
an up-to-date first aid manual
2 triangular bandages
5 crepe bandages (assorted sizes)
5 conforming bandages
self-adhesive strapping plus padding
3 bandages with dressings attached
2 eye pads
1 large box Elastoplast (assorted)
1 box waterproof Elastoplast
Micropore tape(2 sizes)
Melolin dressings (assorted sizes)
Burn dressings (Op-site - expensive but VERY effective)
cotton wool
tweezers
scissors
safety pins
6 pairs disposable latex gloves
resusci-aid breathing thingy
sanitary towels and tampons
sunscreen
after-sun cream
and in addition, if we are away from civilisation or travelling abroad, I also get WRITTEN PERMISSION from parents or guardians for some proprietary medicines to be given if necessary - cough medicine, diahorrea mixture, indigestion tablets, paracetamol or ibuprofen (not both), antihistamines, insect bite cream, Zovirax cold sore cream - all available over the counter without prescription - and most useful of all, Wasp-eze spray. We have found out from bitter experience that medicines bought over-the-counter in some European countries are not up to strength and simply do not work, so we prefer to take things we know will work.
I repeat, do NOT give "pills and potions" without the express written permission of parents or guardians, and if in any doubt, call a doctor. Every person attanding camp - Guides and adults - must complete a Health Form giving name, age, address, home phone number, next of kin, home doctor, medications, illnesses and allergies etc., and be signed (by a parent or guardian if the Guide is under 16) to authorise the First Aider and/or Guider in charge to give permission for emergency medical treatment if necessary. These Health Forms should be kept safe yet be accessible at all times, and should be taken with you whenever you go off-site. You should also be aware of the nearest hospital A&E department and the name and address of the nearest doctor to your campsite: if you are using a recognised Scout or Guide campsite the doctor will probably be used to attending temporary patients, but it is still courtesy to write and tell him/her you are coming, how many campers to expect, and if any have known medical conditions etc.

Hygiene
is the joint province of the First-Aider and the QM : the QM needs to take care of the hygienic preparation of food, including keeping all knives and surfaces clean and wiped down with an anti-bacterial spray before preparing each meal, keeping chopping boards for meat and vegetables separate, hygienic storage of food and drink etc., whilst the First-Aider needs to ensure that the toilets (chemical or flush) are kept clean and soap and water always available for hand-washing.