A NEW campaign aimed at keeping people accident and injury free and out of hospital has been launched,

Accident Free, Avoid A&E has been launched by RoSPA, and asks people to “Prevent accidents, Protect your family, Help the NHS” in order to help ease pressure on frontline health workers during the Coronavirus outbreak.

By learning about and preventing the common causes of serious accidental injury, the 103-year-old family safety charity hope to minimise pressure on the health service while social distancing measures are in place. More accidents happen in the home than anywhere else – every year, about 6,000 accidental deaths are caused by home accidents, with a further 2.7million people turning up to A&E seeking treatment.

Errol Taylor, RoSPA chief executive, said: “While our amazing frontline healthcare staff are fighting this virus, we need to make sure we’re all doing everything we can to ease pressure on them in all other areas, particularly in A&E. We know that more accidents happen in the home than anywhere else – but that’s where everyone is going to be spending the majority of their time for the foreseeable future.

“So with Accident Free, Avoid A&E, we are providing information, guidance and resources to help everyone, whatever their age and whatever their current circumstances, stay out of emergency departments. If you are working from home with young children, we have advice on how to keep them safe; if you are an older person who is self-isolating, or have an older relative you are worried about, then we have lots of resources to prevent accidental falls.

“The message is simple: Prevent accidents, protect your family, help the NHS.”

Advice for keeping people of all ages safe at home, as well as on the road and in their new homeworking offices, is available on the new campaign webpage, rospa.com/AccidentFree