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NHS website sees demand for burns advice almost double on Pancake Day

The burns and scalds page is viewed once every 16 seconds as the nation gets cooking.

Visits to the NHS website’s advice on burns and scalds nearly doubles on Pancake Day, latest figures show.

The number of page views for help with burns injuries jumps from a daily average of 3,200 to 5,300 on Pancake Day, based on figures from the previous two years. This is a rise of 66%.

The figures are equivalent to one view every 16 seconds, as the nation gets busy flipping their frying pans on 21 February.

The NHS burns and scalds page provides advice on prevention, treatment and symptoms, which include blisters, red or peeling skin, swelling, or even white or charred skin.

The website, which is managed by NHS England, offers a range of information including first aid measures for burns, such as:

1.  Getting the person away from the heat source immediately
2.  Removing any clothing or jewellery near the burnt skin
3.  Cooling the burn with cool or lukewarm running water for 20 to 30 minutes, and not using iced water or any creams or greases like butter.
4.  Keeping the person warm with blankets, not touching the burnt area
5.  Once the burn is cool, covering it with cling film or a clean plastic bag.
6.  Using painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to treat any pain.
7.  Raising the affected area to reduce any swelling
8.  Dialling 999 for acid or chemical burns, removing contaminated clothing and rinsing the burn with as much clean water as possible.

The page also details when to seek medical attention, as well as ways of preventing burns from occurring.

Robert Cleary, NHS England’s content director for the NHS website, said: “The NHS website is available every day of the year for anyone who needs it and is often the first port of call for anyone seeking health advice.

“This is evident in the annual spike we see in visits to our burns page on Pancake Day each year, as people seek advice for cooking-related injuries.

“The site provides information and advice in easy-to-understand language on a wide range of conditions, making it accessible for all and easy for people to receive health advice and support from a trustworthy source.”

The NHS website is the UK’s biggest health website with an estimated 2.6 million visits a day in 2022 from people seeking information and advice. It includes over 4,000 pages and provides information about 990 medical conditions.

The most popular page on the NHS website in 2022 was the COVID-19 vaccination booking page, with 60 million visits.