Public health news: South Tyneside Children's Safety Campaign

Public Health Newsletter: September 2023

Every year, thousands of young children need medical care for poisoning from common household products.

Long term injury is rare, but the anxiety and distress caused to the child and parents could be avoided by increasing awareness.

• Most accidental poisoning happens to children younger than five years old, children aged one to three year are the most at risk
• On average, 15 under-fives are admitted to hospital every day due to suspected poisoning
• Children from the poorest families are 3 times more likely to be admitted to hospital due to an accident, including accidental poisoning

What can be poisonous to a child?

Household products, including liquid laundry detergent capsules and button batteries, can be very dangerous to children so please store them securely.

South Tyneside Health Visiting Service are working in partnership with local Family Hubs and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to raise awareness of how to prevent accidental poisoning for young children.

Take action today - put them away

Contact your Health Visitor on 0191 283 1508 or your local Family Hub to find out more. Information and downloadable resources can also be found on the RoSPA website.

Find out more about using and storing liquid washing detergent capsules in a video on the Keep Caps From Kids website. The RoSPA website has advice on poisoning risks to children in the home.

The NHS has advice on how to recognise poisoning symptoms and what to do if you think someone has been poisoned.

A cartoon video on preventing poisonings in the home is available to use from RoSPA's YouTube site. This is in partnership with Nottingham University Hospital's Paediatric Emergency Department.