Safer children, healthier lives: reducing the burden of serious accidents to children (3 June 2022)

Summary

Our home is a place where we spend so much more time. However, this is one place where there may be fewer safeguards and less protection from the risks of serious injury, especially to young children. Preventable accidental injury remains a leading cause of death and acquired disability for children in the UK. Moreover, it affects deprived children more. Hospital admission rates from unintentional injuries among the under-fives are significantly higher for children from the most deprived areas compared with those from the least deprived. This short article from Ian Evans highlights what healthcare professionals working with children and families need to know about accidents and accident prevention in a higher income setting.