John Michael Director of Borough Services Ballymoney Borough Council

Why are here we?  home accidents are a major cause of death and injury …  accidents cost money and cause hardship and suffering  prevention is better than cure  we are INVESTING for HEALTH  that Strategy [published in March 2002] identified the need to reduce accidental injuries and deaths, and gave a commitment to develop a HOME ACCIDENT PREVENTION STRATEGY

Home Accident Prevention Strategy & Action Plan  developed by an inter-sectoral Working Group, chaired by RoSPA and comprising Government Departments, Health Promotion Agency, Health & Social Service Boards and Trusts, NI Fire Brigade, District Councils, the Voluntary Sector  issued January 2005, with DHSSPS providing some funding for implementation  HAP Strategy AIM – “To reduce the number of accidental deaths and injuries in the home.”

HAP Strategy Roadmap - TARGETS  contribute to Investing for Health targets – (1) reduce accident death rate by at least 1 / 5 and (2) reduce accident serious injury rate by at least 1 / 10  by reducing – (1) the death rate from home accidents by 15% (2) injuries requiring hospital admission by 30% (3) injuries to children requiring hospital admission by 20% (4) poisonings requiring hospital admission by 18% (5) falls in older people requiring hospital admission by 25% (6) injuries from accidental fires by 10%

 14 point Action Plan  specific organizations given specific tasks  partner organizations to be accountable to the Ministerial Group on Public Health via a multi- agency Home Accident Prevention Strategy Implementation Group DHSSPS, HPA, NIHE, NIF&RS, HSE, CCEA, Health Boards, NILGA, with RoSPA chairing the Group. How are the HAP Strategy targets to be achieved?

HAP Strategy ACTION PLAN  ACTION 5 Local councils in exercising their discretionary powers to promote safety in the home, will have regard to the Home Accident Prevention Strategy and the policies and programmes developed by Investing for Health Partnerships.  In order to assist Councils, the CEHOG Consumer Protection Sub-Group prepared a paper for the Chief Environmental Health Officers Group setting out – The Role of District Councils in Home Accident Prevention.

The Role of District Councils in Home Accident Prevention  Recommendations were made and accepted re. mandatory duty local home accident prevention strategies resources liaison arrangements training best practice

Partnership in practice  HAP Ballymoney  Hazard House  Home Safety Officer  So why are we here?  What will we learn?  What will we put into practice?  How will we make a difference?  …make our contribution, in partnership, to reduce home accidents in the Northern Investing for Health area?