Accident death rate a 'disgrace'

Accidents are the leading cause of death and illness in children but there is no national strategy to tackle them, a report says.

Two million children suffer injuries caused by burns, poisoning, falling down stairs and road crashes that require a trip to an A&E department each year.

Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, of the Healthcare Commission, said a lack of action to reduce the toll was a "disgrace".

The report, published with the Audit Commission, says smoke detectors, stair gates and 20mph speed limits are shown to prevent injury. But children in poorer families are 15 times more likely to die in fires.