Accidents / Injuries / Trauma

UK sources of information and / or support

This page mainly deals with sites concerned with accident and injury prevention, and with recovery and rehabilitation following injury or violence. There are also links to organisations who make and supply identification jewelry. See the Patient UK first aid page for information on emergency treatments of injuries and the legal page for advice on compensation issues following an accident.

 Accident Prevention - RoSPA

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents website gives lots of information on preventing accidents in the home, workplace and at leisure.

 Action for Victims of Medical Accidents

AVMA is a charity supporting people injured by medical accidents. If you think you may have suffered injury or harm as a result of inappropriate medical care, poor treatment, or misdiagnosis/failure to diagnose, then contact AVMA for free practical help and advice.

 Anti-bullying Network

The Scottish Executive has established the Network so that teachers, parents and young people can share ideas about how bullying should be tackled. It is freely open to all.

 Brainwave

A UK Charity dedicated to provision of therapy programmes for the brain injured. Since its inception many hundreds of people (especially children) have derived often substantial benefit from the individual therapy programmes enabling them to lead a less dependent and more rewarding life.

 British Red Cross

Cares for vulnerable people everywhere to respond in the wake of major emergencies or disasters, such as train crashes or floods. Also provide a range of services to meet the personal emergencies of individuals.

 British Safety Council

The British Safety Council came into being following a debate in the House of Commons on June 7 1957. Since then it has grown to become the largest independent industrial safety body in the world. It trains 19,000 people a year in accident prevention techniques and safety management.

 Child Accident Prevention Trust

A national charity in the United Kingdom committed to reducing the number of children and young people killed, disabled and seriously injured as a result of accidents.

 Department for Transport Road Safety Page

Their website contains information on the Government's Road Safety Strategy and its targets for reducing the number of road deaths and injuries by 2010. In addition there is information about Government policies and initiatives and advice for all road users. See also Think Road Safety.

 Electrical Safety Council

An independent body promoting electrical safety for the protection of consumers.

 Emergency Medical Services Index

Database listing of UK emergency medical services categorised by Road or Air. A worldwide section is also included.

 Fire Kills - you can prevent it

Fire safety advice.

 Headway

UK national charity dedicated to supporting people with brain injury, their families and carers and concerned professionals. Over 112 local groups and branches throughout the UK.

 Health & Safety Executive

The Health and Safety Commission is responsible for health and safety regulation in Great Britain. Their mission is to protect people's health and safety by ensuring risks in the changing workplace are properly controlled

 IdentiKids

Children's ID and Medical Emergency card attaches discretely to a child's car seat to provide the emergency services with vital information on a child in the event of an accident. The card is available nationally.

 Law Society (The)

Information on legal matters including how to choose a solicitor. May be able to advise on solicitors specialising in mental health, family matters and child matters. Runs a free accident helpline which helps determine if you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and loss of earnings.

 Learn and Live

Represents bereaved parents who have lost youngsters in road accidents. Lobbies for common-sense measures to make learning to drive a safer process and save other families from losing a beloved son or daughter.

 Lifesaver

Promotes fire safety awareness at work. Facilitates your necessity to fulfill your legal requirements by training all employees about fire safety.

 Medic-alert

A non-profit making, registered charity providing a lifesaving identification system for individuals with hidden medical conditions and allergies. This takes the form of body-worn bracelets or necklets bearing the MedicAlert symbol on the disc and supported by a 24-hour emergency telephone service.

 Medi-Tag

Medi-Tag Pendants, Bracelets and Watches are engraved with vital medical and personal details to provide instant information to medical professionals and Emergency Services saving critical seconds in diagnosis and treatment, and in locating next of kin. Optional membership to an international 24 Hour Emergency Telephone Service operated by the NHS Trust allows access to further medical and personal information held on a secure computer database.

 National Accident Helpline

Links accident victims with specialist solicitors. The site has lots of useful information on the subject including about claiming compensation for injuries in accidents.

 National Extravasation Information Service

This site aims to be the premier site for information on and reporting of extravasion injuries. Also aims to improve detection, management and hence outcome for extravasation injuries.

 National PatientSafety Agency

Aims to improve the safety and quality of care through reporting, analysing and learning from adverse incidents and 'near misses' involving NHS patients. The NPSA is an independent body created in July 2001.

 Message in a Bottle

Many Lions Clubs in the British Isles and Ireland are operating theLions Message in a Bottle scheme. From a phamacist, or Doctor's surgeryyou can get a special bottle which contains a form in which you canenter much critical emergency information - mediaction, next of kin,pets in the house, etc. You keep the bottle in the fridge. The emergency services know to look for it and it can provide them with potentially life saving information should you be incapacitated.

 Next of Kin

A company providing a service to individuals so that next of kin can be contacted in cases of emergency. There is also a facility to hold medical information to be accessed by professionals if necessary. A range of services are available for children, those living alone, those with medical conditions and others.

 MediPAL

A company providing medical ID cards that show important medical details as well as emergency contact details. All Ambulance services in the UK and many police forces are aware of the service, and will look out for the cards, as they will save time and therefore potentially lives.

 Roadpeace

Provides practical and emotional help to those newly bereaved and injured as a result of a road crash.

 SOS Talisman / Talman Ltd

Talman Ltd are distributors of SOS Talisman identification jewellery throughout the UK, Eire and Channel Islands. Worn as an item of jewellery, containing a non-soluble paper strip of information relating to the wearer's medical conditions. It provides vital information about the wearer in the case of an accident or illness.

 St. John Ambulance

The UK's leading authority on First Aid.

  Spinal Research

Aims to fund research which will lead to a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury.

 Trauma - fluid replacement therapy

A patient guide to complement the NICE national guideline for health professionals called Trauma - fluid replacement therapy.

 Motorway Safety

Test your skills to keep safe on motorways.

 UK Trauma Group

A selection of material which gives relevant and helpful information about Post Traumatic Stress Reactions.

 Victim Support

The independent charity which helps people cope with the effects of crime. Provides free and confidential support and information to help you deal with your experience. Also aims to promote and advance the rights of victims and witnesses in all aspects of criminal justice and social policy.

 Victim Support Scotland

For victims of crime. Victim Support provides: free and confidential independent help when you need it, emotional support, practical help, information about compensation, crime prevention and criminal justice procedures, help when attending court. (Also contact addresses for Victim Support England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland).

 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is the single excellence-in-practice organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health. Contains a section on accidents.

Dealing with accidents is on the Patient UK First Aid page.

Further sources / more detailed information

Some non-UK sites

The following list popular non-UK health information sites with content aimed at the general public. They are mainly from the US. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included but these large sites are comprehensive.

• Non-UK disease / illness sites
• Non-UK self-help / support group sites

More detailed medical information

The following list online sources of more detailed medical information, mainly from the UK. These sites are mainly aimed at health professionals, but are of interest to all. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included, but information about most medical topics can usually be found.

• PatientPlus - hundreds of medical reference articles provided by Patient UK.
• Evidence Based Medicine - such as from Clinical Evidence, The Cochrane Library, etc.
• Database of UK Clinical Guidelines - from NICE, SIGN, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, etc.
• Medline - abstracts available from thousands of journals.
• Sites listing free online medical textbooks and journals.
• Sites listing free medical images - pictures, atlases, anatomy, skin diseases, etc.