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unfortunately the housing shortage makes corrective action
difficult. It is in these houses that carefulness and tidiness are so
essential. The housewife who is out at work during the day
and is tired when she gets home has a high accident potential.
The disabled and frail, most of whom (but not all) are above
pensionable age, need help and supervision and also early
detection and treatment of their disabilities. Mention has already
been made of the value of simple chiropody; the impairment of
the sense of smell in old people should always be borne in mind
when gas is used for cooking and heating. Many of the accidents
among this group could have been prevented by removal to
better rooms on ground floor level, or by alterations to existing
accommodation. Unfortunately, in the aged and handicapped,
accidents are generally severe and the preliminary injury of a
minor nature, which calls attention to the need for preventive
action, is not met so commonly.
The routine reporting of accidents to the Medical Officer of
Health is a most useful measure, but, in addition, information
about unsatisfactory homes should be obtained from other
agencies, both voluntary and statutory, particularly from social
workers and others who gain entry to the homes. Other sources
from which useful details have been obtained are the numerous
applications for rehousing priority on medical grounds and for
certificates of disrepair, and reports by smoke inspectors in
connection with smoke control area visits.
Conclusion
The prevention of home accidents has now become an
important part of the work of the Public Health Department.
From the information available it appears that accidents
requiring hospital treatment are on the increase. The graph on
page 11 gives the number of cases reported by hospitals in the
area in three-monthly periods since the investigation began.
Whilst improved reporting may be partly responsible, the
large increases shown after June, 1958, are not entirely accounted
for in this way. Information about minor accidents is still
scanty, but there is no doubt that for every death there is a large
number of non-fatal accidents, and for every non-fatal accident
there is a still larger number of minor ones in which medical
treatment is not sought. This matter is now being investigated
and the co-operation of the public is being sought in completing
a questionnaire. It is hoped that this will supply valuable
information.
The success of preventive measures demands full and accurate
information of accidents, and it is only by the co-operation
of everyone concerned that this can be obtained.