The "Not for Play" campaign was a highly successful initiative aimed at tackling the growing concern of liquid laundry capsule ingestion injuries to children in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Board area.
Children, averaging 18 months old, were being brought to the emergency department (ED) at Yorkhill Hospital as a result of ingestion of liquid laundry capsules. These products are small brightly coloured capsules used in washing machines and/or in dishwashers, containing a concentrated amount of liquid detergent which, if ingested, can cause serious injury.
The campaign utilised a multifaceted approach to raise awareness of the product, in order to try and prevent injuries. This included an information pack with a free cupboard catch being giving to every family with a baby 12 – 16 weeks. The first year of the campaign was evaluated by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and Rocket Science. A mix of quantative (baseline surveys, admission data) and qualitative methods (one to one interviews with families) was used to gather the results of the campaign.
The evaluation revealed a number of important points. Firstly, the campaign succeeded in raising awareness by at least 10% in the GGC board area. Secondly, the evaluation found that over half of the families used in the baseline survey stored their household cleaning products in an unsecured and unlocked cupboard. Results 9 months after the start of the campaign, found that 40% of families interviewed had installed the latch whilst 60% of Health Visitor's reported positive changes when revisiting the family at 12 months. This suggests a clear change in behaviour to prevent injuries.
New data was found and geographically mapped in order to help future campaigns. Importantly, Health Visitors and families felt that the project was helpful and useful. Health Visitors wanted to see the campaign continue with future stock of information leaflets.
Lastly, the evaluation found that during the campaign period, admissions in Yorkhill fell from 9 (pre-campaign year) to 1. In addition, by ensuing the campaign, the estimated cost saving to the Ear Nose and Throat department at Yorkhill hospital was around £144,000.