SUMMER KIDZ: Doctor says tragic River Derwent drowning highlights need for water safety awareness as well as heatwave advice

Dr Ian Lewins, children's emergency department consultant at Royal Derby Hospital. Photo via UHDB.

The recent drowning of a young man in the River Derwent through Derby highlights the need for water safety awareness as well as heatwave advice, a doctor has said.

Dr Ian Lewins, a children’s emergency department consultant at Royal Derby Hospital, said continued awareness was needed about water safety – particularly in inland water such as reservoirs.

He said the recent slew of heatwaves had not led to a mass increase in admissions or A&E attendances for sunburn, heatstroke or dehydration, while some severe incidents had cropped up in previous summers.

Dr Lewins said parents and carers needed to take the utmost care with babies and children who are not yet old enough to ask for water.

He stressed sun cream should be the first line of defence, but not the only defence and not the last, and that the youngest children and babies should be kept in the shade or inside during the hottest parts of the day.

Dr Lewins said: “We have been fortunate in that people are obviously taking precautions so we have not seen much sunburn at all, which is great, that is really positive.

“I think people are far more aware as we get used to the hotter temperatures that we have experienced in the last few years.

“The other group we are particularly concerned about are the teenagers who get into difficulty when they are going swimming.

“There was the recent tragic case in Darley Abbey where a young person sadly died when they got into difficulty in water.

“Our message would be that, whilst it is really hot it may be tempting to jump in water, water is extremely cold even when it is hot outside and people can drown very quickly in very small amounts of water.

“When you are jumping in water you can’t see what is underneath there or gauge what currents are like or if there is debris in there.

“Water safety, particularly for our teenagers, is something we would really emphasise.

“In the UK this year we have had 14 fatalities which is an absolute tragedy.”

He referred to the July 2020 drowning of Thando Ndlovu in the River Derwent near Swarkestone, saying: “Derbyshire is an area with a lot of reservoirs and a lot of inland water.

“I think people often think it is the seas and oceans that people drown in, but in fact it is more likely to be inland water that people get into difficulty with.

“Say half of child drownings occurred in inland open water and about 70 percent of those happen in the summertime because it is hot and people assume the water is hot as well, but it really isn’t and it is that shock that puts people in difficulty, as well as the current and debris.”

Dr Lewins said parents must not leave children or babies alone in paddling pools and ensure they can be seen at all times, at arms’ length, saying these were “avoidable, potentially disastrous situations”.

He said three or four years ago there was a surge in children having sunburn that was so significant that they required burns treatment and some cases sent to the burns unit in Nottingham.

However, he said: “Fortunately so far that hasn’t been the case this year and people are more away as the temperatures have been particularly high for the past few summers, which is fantastic.”

Dr Lewins said some children had been brought in with signs of heat exhaustion who just needed to cool down and have some fluids.

He said parents and carers should prioritise five simple tips: Loose clothes, a hat, sun cream, shelter and sunglasses, in line with Australian sun care advice, with an emphasis on keeping hydrated and covered up.

Dr Lewins said the unfamiliarity of these particularly excessive heatwaves will improve, saying tips around when to open (when cooler outside) and close (when hotter outside) windows and boosting the efficiency of fans (by placing a bucket of ice behind it) was something people can do to help themselves.