Take Action Today - North West, North East and the Yorkshire & Humber Region

Reducing accidental poisoning across the regions

The Take Action Today Programme, supported by Fairy Non-Bio, started to roll out over the North West during 2019 and early 2020. In 2021/22 the programme was expanded to cover areas within the North East and in late 2022 the programme was extended again to cover the Yorkshire and the Humber region. 

Accidental poisoning among children under five years old is an issue across the UK with figures from the Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities (OHID) Public health profiles - OHID (phe.org.uk) showing that most areas in the North West and North East currently have above average admissions.

The aim of the campaign is to reach as many families with under-fives as possible with a magnetic pad that they can place on their fridge with the key messages of how to prevent accidental poisoning among their children.

It serves as a great reminder on a day-to-day basis but also provides a handy way of engaging families in conversation about preventing household poisoning.

Each participating area receives a supply of the magnetic pads based on the number of families with under-fives in the area and undertakes to distribute these over the next few months. The impact of the programme is measured through a mix of feedback from families on how the programme has increased their awareness and changed how they store household products, along with data on hospital admissions and (where available) attendances.

The programme usually begins with a media launch at a venue that is accessible to families and those who will be involved in delivering the campaign. Children’s hospitals, children’s centres and libraries are examples of previous venues.

The programme is supported with a briefing document for professionals and a variety of downloadable resources, including the checklist and factsheet.

Join the programme and receive free resources
RoSPA would therefore like to invite services in the North West, North East and services in the Yorkshire & Humber region who provide support to local families to join us in partnership to deliver the Take Action Today programme across these regions over the next few months.