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Surgeon warns of dangers of hot water bottles

BBC Mr Paul Drake has grey hair and a beard and is wearing a dark grey suit and burgundy spotted tie. He is sitting in his office at the hospital, with his desk and computer and a sign saying 'emergency call' visible on the wall behind him.BBC
Consultant plastic surgeon Paul Drake has urged people to get rid of any hot water bottles that are over two-years-old

A plastic surgeon at a world-renowned burns hospital has warned of the dangers of hot water bottles after a steep rise in the number of children with scalding injuries.

The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) in East Grinstead said there had been a 61% rise in the number of children with injuries caused by hot water bottles across the south east over the past year.

Consultant plastic surgeon and burns lead at QVH, Paul Drake, urged people to check the water bottle they were using was less than two years old and, if not, to get a new one.

"Hot water bottles need to be checked for safety. They're often quite old. They can leak, they can burst," warned Mr Drake.

A blue and white sign reading The Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. It is in front of a brown building surrounded by grass and trees.
The Queen Victoria Hospital is a world-renowned centre for burns injuries

Meanwhile, Ken Dunn, a retired consultant burns and plastic surgeon and vice chair of The Children's Burns Trust said the organisation urged families to avoid using hot water bottles for children.

He said it was "alarming to see such a sharp increase in burns caused by hot water bottles, particularly in young children".

He said anyone who did use them should never fill them with boiling water and should always check the rubber flower symbol on the neck, which shows when the hot water bottle was made.

First aid advice

  • A QVH spokesperson said cool running water should be applied immediately and for at least 20 minutes, with any clothing and jewellery removed, as this could significantly reduce the extent of the injury.
  • This was one of the three Cs to remember when it came to scalding first aid.
  • The others were 'Call' for any burn larger that a 50p coin (999, 111, or local GP for advice), and 'Cover' with loose cling film while transferring to a hospital or GP surgery.

'Psychological impact'

QVH, which has an international reputation for its work, has reported a 5% increase in the number of children being seen for scalding injuries over the past year.

The hospital has joined forces with the Children's Burns Trust and fire and rescue services in West Sussex, East Sussex and Surrey to issue advice ahead of National Burn Awareness Day on Wednesday.

Mr Drake urged families to be prepared in case of such a situation, adding that the right first aid, given at the right time, could make "an enormous difference".

“The impact of a burn injury isn’t only physical but psychological too and can present life-long challenges for the individual and their family," he added.

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