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Published: February 8th 2007
A joint report published by
the Audit Commission and the Healthcare Commission.
A more coherent approach is
overdue at a local level to help prevent accidental injuries to children,
according to a new joint report published today by the Audit Commission and the
Healthcare Commission.
Better Safe Than Sorry:
Preventing Unintentional Injury to Children, says that each year there are approximately two
million attendances by children at hospital accident and emergency (A&E)
departments as the result of accidents that might have been prevented.
This costs the NHS
approximately £146 million per year and the most recent figures show that
accidental injuries kill three children in every 100,000 each year – a similar
rate to cancer.
Injuries such as those
caused by burns, falling down stairs at home, slipping on railway embankments
and poisoning, are a leading cause of death and illness in children aged 1-14,
and account for approximately 120,000 admissions to hospital a year.
However, understanding of
the underlying causes of children’s injury is patchy and the actual number of
injuries each year is unknown.
Although the overall number
of deaths has fallen, the report shows that there are persistent and widening
differences between socio-economic groups. Children of parents who have never
worked, or who have been unemployed for a long time, are 13 times more likely
to die from unintentional injury than children of parents in higher managerial
and professional occupations.
There are many ad hoc local
initiatives to help prevent children’s accidents, but they are often poorly
coordinated and rely on committed individuals who frequently work in isolation
and sometimes duplicate what others have done. There is also an absence of
evaluative data on the success of local prevention initiatives.
However, there were notable
exceptions. In Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, strong relationships between the
primary care trust’s accident prevention team and the A&E department
resulted in targeted campaigns on reducing accidents and reduced hospital
attendances for the under-fives. Measures included free installation of safety
equipment in areas of deprivation and the overall estimated saving to the local
economy was £1.9 million.
The report recommends that:
Professor Sir Ian
Kennedy, Chairman of the Healthcare Commission, said:
‘For too long, this
issue has been pushed down the agenda. We have been prepared to rely on the
dedication and enthusiasm of individuals. No single agency or body has taken a
clear lead. Primary Care Trusts and local authorities are responsible for doing
something about it, but they can’t do so without a more coordinated strategic
approach.
‘The right of all children
to be protected from avoidable accidents and injuries must be embedded in the
work of those who provide public services. Health services need to collect
robust data on the types and causes of injuries that they see in the children
whom they treat. Collecting and analysing this information is crucial to ensure
that the right strategies for prevention are put in place and lives are saved.
Success will depend on partnerships across the NHS, local government and
others.’
Michael O’Higgins,
Chairman of the Audit Commission, said:
‘Each year there are approximately two million attendances at A&E
departments by children as a result of accidental injury. This causes
considerable stress and anxiety for children and their families and carers. Few
of us can imagine the heartache caused by the loss of a child, but the most
recent figures showed that 230 children died in one year from accidents that
might have been prevented.
‘The inequalities between
different socio-economic groups are also shocking. For example, children of
parents who have never worked or are long-term unemployed are 13 times more
likely to die following an accident than children of parents in professional
occupations. To tackle this, local bodies must apply concerted and rigorous
action but, individually, much of what is needed is common sense.’
The report recommends that
central government must support local action better by being clearer about the
roles and responsibilities of the various bodies, co-ordinating the work of
individual Departments in making the information they have available, and
developing a fuller understanding on how to prevent unintentional injury.
The report sets out how
successful prevention requires a more rigorous approach locally, based on the
proper assessment of children’s needs, good and well-collated data, agencies
working together, a clear strategy and an approach based on evidence of what
works.
There are also
recommendations in the report for the NHS primary care trusts, local councils
and the Healthcare Commission. The full report is available at the link
below or at www.audit-commission.gov.uk.
[ENDS]
Better
Safe Than Sorry: Preventing Unintentional Injury to Children (pdf 645kb)
1. This report covers
accidental injuries, but does not deal with road accidents. This will be the
subject of a forthcoming Audit Commission report.
Audit Commission
1. The Audit Commission is
an independent body responsible for ensuring that public money is spent
economically, efficiently and effectively, to achieve high-quality local
services for the public. Our remit covers around 11,000 bodies in England,
which between them spend more than £180 billion of public money each year. Our
work covers local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and
rescue services.
2. As an independent watchdog, we provide important information on the quality
of public services. As a driving force for improvement in those services, we
provide practical recommendations and spread best practice. As an independent
auditor, we ensure that public services are good value for money and that
public money is properly spent.
3. For further information about the Audit Commission, visit our website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk.
For further information
from the Audit Commission, please contact:
Nigel Watts, Senior External Communications Officer
Tel: 020 7166 2129
Fax: 0845 052 2617
Mob: 07813 315 538
Nigel-watts@audit-commission.gov.uk
Healthcare
Commission
1. The Healthcare Commission
is the health watchdog in England. It keeps check on health services to
ensure they are meeting standards in a range of areas. The Commission
also promotes improvements in the quality of healthcare and public health in
England through independent, authoritative, patient-centred assessments of
those who provide services.
2. Responsibility for inspection and investigation of NHS bodies and the
independent sector in Wales rests with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales
(HIW). The Healthcare Commission has certain statutory functions in Wales
which include producing an annual report on the state of healthcare in England
and Wales, national improvement reviews in England and Wales, and working
with HIW to ensure that relevant cross border issues are managed effectively.
3. The Healthcare Commission does not cover Scotland as it has its own body,
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. The Regulation and Quality
Improvement Agency (RQIA) undertakes regular reviews of the quality of services
in Northern Ireland.
For further information
from the Healthcare Commission, please contact:
Creina Lilburne, Senior Press Officer
Tel: 020 7448 9439
creina.lilburne@healthcarecommission.org.uk
Janine Maher, Press Officer
Tel: 020 7448 9429
Janine.maher@healthcarecomission.org.uk
