CHILDREN in Northumberland are more likely to be hospitalised with injuries than anywhere else in England, it has been revealed.

Ahead of Child Safety Week, which has been running from June 7 – 13, Public Health England data showed there were 750 hospital admissions caused by unintentional and deliberate injuries to children aged up to 14 in Northumberland in 2019/20, approximately 153 admissions for every 10,000 youngsters in the area.

This increased by 33 from the previous year and is the highest rate in the England, with the average across the country being 91 per 10,000 children. Across England, there were 93,000 hospital admissions due to children suffering injuries in 2019/20.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust, which runs Child Safety Week, has said parents can help bring the number of injuries down by staying one step ahead of their developing children.

Katrina Phillips, trust chief executive, said: “It is every parent’s worst nightmare, rushing their child to hospital, gripped by anxiety about just how serious the accident may be, and it is a fear experienced by tens of thousands of families each year. Accidents often happen when young children can suddenly do something they couldn’t the day before – for example reaching for a hot drink, crawling to the stairs or opening painkillers.

“For older children accidents most often occur when they’re out cycling or walking.” Public Health England data also discovered that toddlers were more likely to end up in hospital than those aged five and over, with 186 hospital admissions in every 10,000 aged four years and younger.