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North east MSPs back campaign for home safety


By Rachael Glennie

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Local MSPs Stewart Stevenson and Gillian Martin have backed a new campaign aimed at preventing avoidable accidents in the home to ease pressure on the NHS during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Martin and Stewart Steveson back home safety campaign
Gillian Martin and Stewart Steveson back home safety campaign

As the majority of Scots stay at home, in line with Government guidance, it is vital that people take precautions to create a safe home environment and avoid accidental injury.

The new campaign "Accident Free, Avoid A&E" led by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), highlights that more accidents happen in the home than anywhere else.

The campaign’s central message emphasises the need to reduce accidents and help frontline health services.

They hope to draw attention to some common dangers in the home.

For example, trampolines are one of the most frequent causes of hospital attendances - posing a particular risk to children.

Mr Stevenson noted the practical information outlined by the campaign - with guidance for older people and children, tips for setting up a safe workspace, DIY risks and fire safety advice amongst other things.

The MSP for Banff and Buchan, said: “The most important thing we can do to help our NHS right now is stay at home.

“But as we adopt to this new way of living during the outbreak, we must be particularly careful to avoid injury that will place undue pressure on our public health service at a time when it is faced with a global health crisis.

“Small steps can prevent accidents in the home and this will enable crucial frontline health workers to deal with an influx of patients during the pandemic.

“All too often, the safety community hears that parents or carers were unaware of some of the steps we can all take to keep our homes safe.

RoSPA’s new campaign provides a simple and useful resource for creating a safe home environment.”

Commenting, Gillian Martin MSP added: “Ensuring that the NHS has the capacity to treat those who need it most will be critical as we navigate one of the most challenging periods in living memory.

“Now, more than ever, as more of us are at home, a proactive approach to safety will help our amazing NHS as they fight to overcome this coronavirus.

“Through individual responsibility and collective effort, we will beat this.”

To find out more about the campaign, visit https://www.rospa.com/AccidentFree


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