RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
May 2, 2001
MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE SCOTLAND’S HOMES SAFER
Around 1,000 people a day seek medical treatment in Scotland after suffering an accident in the home and more than 20,000 are hospitalised each year, warns The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
In a bid to raise awareness of the problem and address home safety issues, RoSPA is holding a conference later this month to encourage professionals to work together.
"Home Safety and Injury Reduction - Forging the Links", supported by the Scottish Executive Health Department, will be held at the Holiday Inn, Queensferry Road, Edinburgh, on May 23 and 24.
Malcolm Chisholm, Scottish Executive Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, will be giving the keynote address. He will discuss ways to highlight good practice and encourage safety professionals to pool ideas.
Other speakers include: Councillor James McCabe, leader of North Lanarkshire Council; Steve Bell, acting health promotion manager for the Highland Health Board; Dr Tom Beattie, from Edinburgh Sick Children’s NHS Trust; and Tim Kendrick, chair of the Scottish Local Authorities Community Safety Forum.
Delegates interested in a specific area of home safety will have the opportunity to attend workshops, which will be run during the congress.
Sarah Colles, RoSPA Home Safety Adviser, said: "More accidents happen in the home than anywhere else in Scotland, and this conference is an ideal opportunity to promote a better understanding of the problem.
"The event provides a platform for home safety professionals to share expertise and experience with like-minded people.
"Local authorities, health boards and trusts, voluntary and statutory organisations and the commercial sector can all contribute to reduce the unacceptable number of accidental injuries happening in Scotland’s homes."
The conference will be of interest to: health promotion specialists, accident prevention officers, health visitors, home safety officers, social workers, fire prevention officers, community nurses and trading standards officers.
