First Aid Newsletter

Major relief organizations (DRK, Johanniter, Malteser, ASB) are sounding the alarm: The planned GKV contribution rate stabilization act massively threatens the financing of rescue services and air rescue. Rescue services and air rescue are essential public services, not free market services – underfunding could lead to supply shortages in emergency situations and impair crisis stability of the health care system.

The German rescue service operates at capacity limits – overcrowded emergency departments, heat waves with extreme call spikes, and structural problems lead to longer response times and supply shortages. Real-world reports show chaos: 8 RTW and 4 NEF operations at one clinic in parallel, resuscitations must be continued in the RTW due to space problems. The federal system with regional quality differences exacerbates the crisis.

The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) updated its guidelines in 2025; most important change: For infants, the two-thumb technique for chest compressions is recommended (instead of previously one-thumb technique). Training organizations (DRK, Johanniter, Malteser) must adapt their course content accordingly; this affects thousands of first aid courses nationwide and requires retraining of instructors.

Johanniter and other relief organizations are actively intensifying recruitment of volunteers and volunteer service personnel – particularly after school holidays end with targeted campaigns and summer activities (e.g., first aid refresher courses at gravel pit lakes). This is a strategic response to personnel shortages and shows that organizations are taking the shortage of new recruits seriously.

Comprehensive planned reforms of emergency care (116117 control center, telemedicine integration, mobile emergency services) and trauma networks are being integrated into national crisis management. Digitalization and new crisis coordination mechanisms aim to increase efficiency; WHO guidelines set new standards. This signals structural realignment but also carries integration and coordination risks during implementation.