During Child Safety Week (June 1 – 7) Bath & North East Somerset Council is focussing on ways of reducing the number of children admitted to hospital due to preventable injuries.
In Bath and North East Somerset in 2013/14, 78 under 5s were admitted to hospital – in this age group the most common causes of unintentional injury admissions are falls; accidental poisoning; burns and scalds.
During the same period, 149 5 -14 year olds were admitted to hospital; the most common admissions in this older age group are for falls and cycling accidents.
These figures refer to admissions to hospital not attendances at GP, Minor Injuries units or Emergency departments.
Dr Bruce Laurence, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Director of Public Health, said: “Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death, serious injury and acquired disability for children and young people in the UK. The rate of hospital admissions due to injuries in children up to 14-years-old in our area is higher than the England average (ChiMat 2014) – but on most health indicators Bath and North East Somerset performs higher than average so this is an exception.
“We are working with our partners in the health community to look at the reasons for this in more detail; we believe it could be because we are better at picking up and, if necessary, admitting for injuries than other areas.
“We know that most injuries to under 5s happen in the home. To help tackle this, health visitors and children’s centres are supporting families to ensure their home environment is as safe as possible. This includes things like installing home safety equipment free in the homes of vulnerable families to help keep children safe. Local children centres also offer first aid courses for new parents, helping them gain skills in managing injuries as well as raising awareness of risks and how to avoid them.
Dr Laurence added: “Falls cause the most serious injuries. Whilst it is important for children to go out to play in the park and take part in physical activity, younger children need a responsible adult to manage risks for them and older children need help learning how to assess and manage risks themselves, especially travelling to and from school.”
There are some simple things that parents or carers can do to prevent serious injury and to keep children safe. Safety tips, from the Child Accident Prevention Trust include:
Burns fact: A hot drink can still scald 15 minutes after it’s been made.
Tip: Think of where to put your hot drink down so it’s out of reach of little hands.
Poisons fact: Painkillers are the biggest villain when it comes to poisoning young children.
Tip: Watch out for handbags on the floor with painkillers inside or pills on the bedside table. Keep them out of reach and sight of young children.
Falls fact: Many serious falls happen when children take their parents by surprise by doing something new.
Tip: Be careful not to put furniture in front of windows to avoid children climbing up and falling out. Fit safety catches to stop your windows opening too wide and fit safety gates on stairs.
Roads fact: The number of children injured as pedestrians peaks at the age of 12 when many children start travelling to school on their own.
Tip: Teach children road safety when you’re out walking together and set a good example as they are likely to copy your habits.
Blind cord fact: It can take just 20 seconds for a toddler to die by strangulation if they get tangled in a blind cord. 2 to 3 children die this way each year.
Tip: Fit a cleat hook to tie your blind cords back every morning. Keep cots, beds and highchairs away from blind cords and chains.
Drowning fact: Babies slip under the water and drown silently so you won’t hear any noise or struggle.
Tip: Always stay with your baby or young child when they are in the bath. Empty the paddling pool as soon as you’re finished – don’t leave it for the next day.
Fire fact: You double your chances of getting your family out of a fire if you have a working smoke alarm.
Tip: Fit a smoke alarm on each floor of your house and test it regularly. Practise your escape route with your family so that you all know what to do in a fire.
Parents can find more practical safety tips on the Child Safety Week websitewww.childsafetyweek.org.uk/parents.
