Study to develop psychological help for child burn victims

The Healing Foundation Centre for Children’s Burns Research in Bristol has been awarded £1.5m from charity the Healing Foundation to study new surgical and psychological healing techniques to help children better recover from burns injuries.

A key aspect of the programme will be research, led by the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England (UWE), into ways of improving the psychological outcome of burn injury and to support children and young people coping with disfigurement.

There are 23,000 children and young people across England and Wales who are hospitalised with a burn injury every year, some of whom will have their appearance permanently altered by scars. As well as physical pain, such injuries can cause depression and other mental health problems, and the research will aim to promote the rehabilitation of children back into school and social networks.

Led by the University of Bristol, the programme also involves UWE, North Bristol NHS Trust, the University of Bath and Cardiff University. All partners are contributing funding, while the Welsh Assembly is providing £280,000.

Other aspects of the research include identifying new clinical treatments for child burns victims, and developing initiatives to prevent burn and scald injuries.

Dr Amber Young, consultant for the South West UK Children’s Burn Centre at Frenchay Hospital, where the burns research programme will be based, and co-lead of the research team, said: “The centre will bring enhanced infrastructure and support allowing innovation and advances in the way we understand and treat burns wounds to ensure that more children can go on to live happy and healthy lives free from the physical and psychological scars of a burn injury.”