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Latest campaign update:

At RoSPA we are focusing on the Health Bill, currently passing through Parliament, as a way of raising the issue of poor unintended injury data quality with the government.

Poor data has real-world consequences. Without a clear understanding of who is at risk, why incidents occur, and which interventions are most effective, opportunities to prevent harm can be missed.

This is a vital opportunity to establish a clear need for data improvement, which will make it easier for the government to bring in preventative solutions to the accident crisis and reduce financial pressure on our NHS.

We are working with Parliamentarians to raise the issue when the Bill begins its journey through the House of Lords.

The cost of not knowing

Poor data has real-world consequences.

When information is incomplete, fragmented or unavailable:

  • Risks remain hidden
  • Dangerous trends are harder to spot
  • Prevention programmes are less effective
  • Resources cannot be accurately targeted to where they will have the biggest impact
  • Lives that could be saved continue to be put at risk.

This is not just a data issue. This is a threat to people’s lives.

How do we solve this crisis?

RoSPA is calling for a national commitment to improve the collection,
sharing and use of injury data.

We want to see:

Better collection:
Collecting richer and more consistent information about accidents and injuries

Better connection:
Joining up different datasets to build a more comprehensive overview of risks

Better understanding:
Using data to identify patterns, trends and opportunities for prevention

Better action:
Turning evidence into practical interventions that stop people being harmed

A safer country:
Every life lost to a preventable accident is one too many.

By bringing together organisations, professionals and individuals, we can build the case for better data and safer lives.

Join our mission to make the UK a safer nation for all - with stronger data at the heart of accident prevention

By signing this statement, you will publicly support our national campaign for better safety and injury data to help save lives and keep people safe from accidental harm.

Statement:

I believe that every preventable death and injury is one too many.

By signing this statement, I commit to supporting RoSPA’s campaign for better data, which will help save lives and keep people safe.

I recognise that high-quality data is essential to understanding harm, identifying risk and preventing future tragedies through more targeted action.

I support efforts to improve the collection, linkage, analysis and use of safety and injury data across the UK.

I support RoSPA's Better Data, Safer Lives campaign and its goal of creating stronger evidence for preventing avoidable harm.

We can't stop what we don't understand

Every day, people across the UK lose their lives or suffer life-changing injuries that could have been prevented.

Tens of thousands lose their lives year on year. Many survivors never fully recover. Some lose their independence. 

Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a community living with the consequences of a preventable accident.

Yet the data needed to fully understand these incidents and prevent them from happening again is often incomplete, fragmented or unavailable.

At RoSPA, we believe better data can save lives.

That's why we're calling for urgent action to improve the way accident and injury data is collected, connected and used across the UK.

That’s where you come in. Can you and/or your organisation support our campaign for a stronger, safer country? Please sign up to support our statement.

A hidden crisis

Falls are THE biggest causes of accidental death and injury in the UK.

Every year over 10,000 people are killed and half a million people are admitted to hospital because of a fall.

Yet despite these shocking numbers, 84% of UK fall deaths and 36% of fall-related hospital admissions were recorded as "unspecified" in 2023.

That means that in the vast majority of fatal falls, we do not have enough information to fully understand why these tragedies have happened.

Was it a fall on stairs? A trip on uneven ground? A fall in a care setting? A fall at home? Too often, the answer is recorded simply as "unspecified".

When the details are missing, opportunities to prevent future deaths are lost.