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State of Child Health 2026: Injuries

Health Policy team
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This indicator measures the rate of emergency hospital admissions due to injury in children per 1,000 population in England, Scotland and Wales. There are no comparable data available for Northern Ireland.

Data on emergency admissions by injury cause is not readily available. Scotland and Wales differentiate between accidental and non-accidental injury, allowing examination of the causes of each, but England does not.
Last updated
Post date
14 July 2026
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Contents

This is one of 12 indicators in our State of Child Health resource.

What is the problem?

Accidental injuries are injuries that are unexpected and occur because of an unintended external incident. For example, injuries due to e-scooter use have recently emerged as a significant concern in the UK and include fractures, head injuries and other significant morbidity.1 This is separate from non-accidental injuries, which are intentionally inflicted on a child or young person.

When the first State of Child Health was published in 2017, rates of admissions due to injuries were stable, and data is now showing admissions have been decreasing. Rates of emergency admissions from accidental injury remain highest in the 0-4 age group in Scotland and Wales. In Scotland, admissions decreased from 11.8 per 1,000 population in 2014-15 to 8.7 in 2023-24, with decreases also reported in the 5-9 and 10-14 age groups. In Wales, the rate has fallen from 19.0 per 1,000 population in 2014-15 to 8.4 in 2025-26 in the 0-4 age groups, with decreases also observed in the 5-9 and 10-14 age groups.

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Data from England does not distinguish between accidental and non-accidental injury causes. In the 0-4 age group, emergency admissions decreased from 14.8 per 1000 population in 2011-12 to 8.9 in 2024-25.  A similar pattern is seen when looking at the 0-14 age group as a whole.

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There are clear health inequalities in the rate of hospital admissions due to accidental injury between children and young people living in the most and least deprived communities. In Scotland children and young people living in the most deprived areas had a 45% higher rate of admissions due to accidental injury compared with those in the least deprived areas in 2023-24.

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Data by deprivation in England and Wales examines the overall rate of emergency admissions. In England, the rate of emergency admissions was 130.8 per 1,000 for 0-4-year-olds living in the least deprived areas compared to 174.9 in the most deprived in 2024-25.

In Wales, this was 207.6 per 1,000 population compared to 245.7 in the least versus most deprived areas.

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Why does it matter?

While rates of admissions due to injuries are decreasing, they remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children and young people in the UK.

Many accidental injuries are caused by safety risks in the home, such as children falling out of windows due to an absence of opening restrictors. Identifying trends early can support the introduction of safety measures to protect children and reduce the risk of injury and death.2

Drivers of poor outcomes

Injuries in children can be due to a variety of reasons. The National Child Mortality Database identifies key causes of injury-related child deaths, including road traffic collisions, drowning, violence and maltreatment. Other causes include choking, falls, animal attacks and drug and alcohol ingestion.3

Poverty is likely to increase exposure to these risk factors. For example, children living in areas of higher deprivation are more likely to live in densely populated urban areas with heavy traffic, increasing the risk of road traffic accidents,4 and are less likely to have access to swimming lessons, which can reduce risk of drowning.5 They are also less likely to have access to safe, well-maintained green spaces and environments that support play.6

Access to safe and appropriate spaces for play, including green spaces and areas where children can explore with a degree of independence, is an important factor in children’s safety and development. Where such spaces are poorly maintained or perceived as unsafe, opportunities for play and physical activity may be limited. Qualitative insights suggest that concerns about antisocial behaviour and poor maintenance, such as broken glass, can deter children from using local spaces. This may result in children spending more time in restricted environments, such as at home, or in areas closer to traffic, which may increase exposure to other risks.

Evidence also suggests an association between maternal mental health and injury rates in children.7 However, while deprivation is linked to poor mental health and injury rates independently, more research is needed to understand whether this relationship is causative.

Why we need to act now

While rates of emergency admissions due to injury are declining, every child death is a tragedy for the family involved. Preventable injuries place a significant financial burden on families and the healthcare system. Many injuries can be avoided with the introduction of simple preventable measures and increased awareness of potential risks. It is important that all children and families have equitable access to the information, resources and support needed to reduce the likelihood of harm.

A paediatrician's insight

From Dr Charlotte Durand, Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine

Your experience of supporting and/or treating children and young people who require emergency admission due to injuries - has anything changed over time?

"As a paediatric emergency medicine (PEM) consultant, I have seen changes in the types of injuries affecting children and young people. During the COVID pandemic, we saw a rise in certain injuries, for example, unsupervised children falling from windows and dog bites. Traffic calming and road safety campaigns have reduced the number of children and young people seriously injured on our roads, although this remains common. Serious injuries associated with e-scooters/e-bikes are increasing, with young people particularly vulnerable, both due to their size and limited understanding of risk. Paediatricians and families are often unaware that private e-scooters are illegal unless used on private land.

"Violent crime is increasing and affecting ever younger children. We also continue to see non-accidental injuries, particularly in children under one year. For all traumatic injuries, we now have expert trauma teams, including psychologists and trauma rehabilitation coordinators, meaning that children, young people and their families receive consistent care throughout their hospital journey."

What have been the challenges to supporting children and young people in this space - what contributes to this or keeps them returning to NHS for support?

"Despite public health measures, we still see children and young people injured on our roads and involved in violent crime. Simple safety measures, such as cycle helmets and bike lights, make a difference, but are often not used. Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) work with young people attending hospitals with violence-related injuries and have shown a reduction in violent crime. Individuals involved are often from deprived areas and are repeatedly re-exposed to further violence, making it difficult to break this cycle. Provision of VRUs is inconsistent, with varying levels of support available, which can be frustrating. Other schemes such as “Stop the Bleed” educate and provide life-saving support in communities."

Any examples of good practice to tackle the growing rates of emergency admissions due to injuries that you have been part of or aware of?

"Projects such as the Research Ambassador Scheme from Alder Hey Hospital engage young people to conduct surveys on key topics across secondary schools, with findings published and incorporated into the PSHE curriculum; the 2026 topic is e-scooters.

"Charities also play an important preventative role. In Merseyside, the Bobby Colleran Trust provides road safety awareness support for primary schools. Jacob’s Journey is a charity set up following the tragic death of Jacob Calland, who died after a collision on an e-scooter in 2025. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of e-scooters, educate parents and young people, and advocate for legislation. Engagement with children and young people and public health messaging is vital to ensure our most vulnerable communities are protected from serious injury. There are excellent resources available from organisations such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Brake and the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT)."

Any advice you'd give to paediatricians that would help prevent emergency admissions due to injuries?

"Remember that each attendance is a “teachable moment”, even if it is for a minor injury/illness – it is a chance to educate and plant the seed that might make a difference to that child (like remembering to wear a cycle helmet). We also need to remember that the most deprived groups of children are at increased risk, and we need to make sure we are providing accessible and engaging information for all children and families. Finally, cross-sector data collection is vital to enable us to understand and change behaviour to save lives."

Recommendations

England
  • Establish a standardised database for reporting accidental and non-accidental injuries by age and cause, aligned with other UK nations, capable of being disaggregated by ethnicity and deprivation.
  • Prioritise measures to prevent injuries by implementing in full the recommendations set out in the National Child Mortality Database report on deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents.
Scotland
  • Fully implement the National Primary School Swimming Framework to ensure consistent delivery across all local authority areas, guaranteeing that every child leaves primary school able to swim and with basic water safety skills, aligned to national outcomes.
  • Expand targeted support for families in high‑risk or deprived areas, where children are disproportionately affected by accidental injuries.
  • Improve road safety and safe travel for adolescents with active campaigns such as school bus safety campaigns and campaigns in emerging dangers such as e-scooters.
Wales
  • Establish a standardised database for reporting accidental injuries, aligned with other UK nations, capable of being disaggregated by ethnicity and deprivation.
  • Expand targeted support for families in deprived areas to reduce the disproportionate impact of accidental injury affecting children from disadvantaged households.
  • Improve road safety and safe travel for adolescents with active campaigns such as school bus safety campaigns and campaigns in emerging dangers such as e-scooters.
  • Maintain the 20mph speed limit in built up areas, focusing on places children frequent, including around schools, hospitals and parks.
Northern Ireland
  • Publish and implement a successor to the Northern Ireland Home Accident Prevention Strategy 2015-2025. 
  • Embed structured home safety assessments and advice into routine health visiting contacts under the Healthy Child, Healthy Future 2025 framework, particularly during the first 1,000 days. Complement this with expanded targeted support for families in high-risk and deprived areas, including home safety equipment schemes, hazard reduction programmes and enhanced health visiting support.
  • Strengthen data collection with consistent, Northern Ireland wide reporting of accidental injury hospital admissions for children.
  • Improve road safety and promote safe travel for adolescents with targeted campaigns including school bus safety and addressing the dangers of e-scooters.

This is one of 12 indicators in our State of Child Health resource.