Page 6 - Big Book of Accident Prevention

Why do we need 7 accident prevention? Figure 2 – Emergency department attendances - England 1987–2011 Accident prevention Accidents 22,000,000 During the past 25 years, a co-ordinated national plan to reduce road accidents, that is being delivered locally, has worked Kill about 14,000 per annum across the UK 20,000,000 dramatically in producing all-time lows. In the home, the opposite is true – home accidents are at epidemic levels. Are the main cause of death for children In the same time frame, admissions to A&E have doubled, with accidents costing society an estimated £150billion every post-infancy 18,000,000 year. Home and leisure accidents alone cost society £95billion and at least £25billion of this is paid by taxpayers Are the principal cause of death up to the Attendances 16,000,000 through healthcare and benefits costs. age of 39 This increasing burden is unsustainable. Are the principal cause of premature, 14,000,000 preventable death for most of our lives 12,000,000 Seriously injure more than 700,000 per annum in England alone 10,000,000 Are often violent in nature 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Figure 1 – Extrapolation of deaths on the road and in the home: Destroy families and diminish communities. Year New attendances Follow-up attendances Looking ahead 10 years, England & Wales Source: DH 126708, published online by the Department of Health Source: DH 126708, published online by the Department of Health 5,500 The 2012 Health and Social Care Act will lead to major reforms within 5,000 the NHS and public health in England. Local Clinical Commissioning HOME Groups will be responsible for substantial financial budgets and from 4,500 “Every year, about April 2013, they will have to absorb the rising cost of attendances at hospital Emergency Departments (A&E). Number of deaths 4,000 a home accident. ” The tree of public health Figure 3 – The tree of public health 5,000 people die as a result of 3,500 Accident prevention is easy and relatively Source: England & Wales: Office for National Statistics (ONS) 3,000 audience. Being focussed on information Scotland: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland inexpensive to deliver, to a largely receptive Heart Disease Home and education, accident prevention produces Road Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research 2,500 Agency (NISRA) immediate changes in behaviour and rapid Linear (Home) Smoking Cancer ROAD Linear (Road) results – unlike the slow behavioural change 2,000 associated with disease prevention. It should Obesity Alcohol therefore be considered to be “low hanging fruit” of public health as well as the biggest 1,500 Sexual Health Mental Health 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 apple on the tree. Year Source: RoSPA analysis of the annual Deaths Registered DR table 7, produced by the Source: RoSPA analysis of the annual Deaths Registered DR table 7, produced Oce for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales Accident prevention is the Accident Prevention by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales ‘low-hanging fruit’ of public health Accident prevention works • Easy and inexpensive to deliver • Produces relatively quick results • Engages a receptive audience • Returns more life years (measured in PrYLL) to society than other major public health issues. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents