ASSAULT SURVEILLANCE: ESTABLISHMENT OF A LOCAL INJURY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

1. ASSAULT SURVEILLANCE: ESTABLISHMENT OF A LOCAL INJURY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM Zara Anderson and Linda Turner Thursday 8th September 2005 11.30 – 12.15pm

2. Objectives • Trauma and Injury Intelligence Group • Injury Surveillance System • Assault Surveillance • Barriers • Benefits • Summary

3. What is the Trauma and Injury Intelligence Group (TIIG)? • A partnership group across Cheshire and Merseyside with representation from PCT's, Academia, Fire Service, Police and Ambulance • Objectives include: • Informing and advising the local Public Health Network and Strategic Health Authority on injury intelligence • Advising and supporting injury information providers • Informing injury prevention strategies through needs assessment, monitoring and evaluation • Making available the best evidence • Collaborating with partners on related initiatives (e.g. robbery and violent crime) • The injury surveillance system is the primary mechanism for delivering objectives

4. Why is an injury surveillance system needed? Injuries are a key public health issue • cause people to die prematurely • major cause of disability, impairment, poorer quality of life • links to the inequality agenda National drivers • Recommendation from BMA that: “injury surveillance centres should be established” • Report to Chief Medical Officer - Preventing Accidental Injury: Priorities for Action “Public Health Observatories, together with their counterparts in local government, should play a key role in the surveillance of accidental injury” Local drivers • Merseyside conference prioritised theme of improving information about injuries and those at risk

5. Defining the problem Collecting the data Entering the data Evaluating the surveillance system Assessing the data Interpreting the data Using the results to plan prevention / treatment Reporting the results Other stakeholders Private sector and NGOs Health departments Other public service agencies Steps in a surveillance system Source: Injury surveillance guidelines centres for disease control and prevention

6. What is the Merseyside and Cheshire model? • Covers both intentional and unintentional injuries • Brings together a variety of data sources in one place • Sustainable surveillance system that is passive (data collected in the course of doing other routine tasks) • Consistent collection of data items by using core data sets with local flexibility • Wider coverage than other surveillance systems in UK and internationally • Regular reporting on aggregated data

7. Injury datasets

8. Assaults – UK perspective

10. Some key facts Estimated 2.7 million incidents of violence every year in England and Wales At peak times 70% of A&E admissions are due to alcohol • Costs of domestic violence per year • £23 billion (NHS £1.4 billion) • Costs of violent crime per year • £24.4 billion Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships – crime audits Impacts on services – health, local authority, criminal justice • Types of violence: • youth • intimate partner • child maltreatment • elder abuse • sexual violence Reporting of violent crime and assaults – as low as 12% of worst cases of serious sexual assault Impacts on health – injuries, long-term physical, mental and sexual health problems, death

11. Police fear late licences will lead to chaos Drinking free-for-all 'will take police off the beat'

12. Assaults – Cheshire and Merseyside, UK • Hospital admissions • Cheshire and Merseyside • Accident and Emergency attendances • Arrowe Park • Royal Liverpool • Ambulance call outs • Cheshire and Merseyside

13. Mortality and hospital admissions Cheshire and Merseyside: - • 2002:- 7 deaths directly associated with assault • 2002/2003: -2,978 assault-related hospital admissions • Leading cause of hospital admissions for males aged 15 -24 years • Second leading cause for males aged 25 – 34 years

14. Assault A&E attendances by age group April 2004 to March 2005 Royal Liverpool – 4,314 (12%) Arrowe Park – 2,872 (7%) Over 70% of assault attendances were male

15. Assault attendances by number of attackers

16. Royal Liverpool A&E • 91% attackers male • 70% attacked by a stranger • 51% not informed police • Type of attack: - 1,415 struck (e.g. fist), 212 blunt object, 206 bottled/glassed, 93 stabbed Arrowe Park A&E • Type of attack: - 2,213 struck, 341 Wound/cut, 32 stabbed, 23 bites, 20 falls, 19 glassed

17. Assault attendances by location of incident, Royal Liverpool A&E Liverpool City Centre Bold Street Concert Square Slater Street

20. Assault attendances by location of incident, Arrowe Park A&E

21. 49% of assault attendances drank alcohol prior to their attack 85% of assault attendances between 2am and 4am Saturday morning drank alcohol prior to their attack 86% of assault attendances between 2am and 4am Sunday morning drank alcohol prior to their attack

22. Mersey Regional Ambulance Service • Cheshire and Merseyside • Patient demographics • Time/date • Hospital of attendance • Location of call out

23. Assault/Rape call outs, April to June 2005 • 2,313 Assault/Rape call outs • 34% aged 15 – 29 years • 67% male • 50% taken to emergency room • -Royal Liverpool 22%, Arrowe Park 16%, Whiston 13%, Aintree 12%

24. Time/day of assault/rape ambulance call outs, April to June 2005

27. Violence against the person offences by Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area, rate per 1,000 population, Cheshire and Merseyside, 2002/2003 to 2003/2004

28. Data summary • Victims: 15 – 29 years, male • Attackers: male • Peak times: weekend evenings • Peak location: night time environment • 49% victims drank alcohol prior to attack • Not all assaults reported to the police

29. Data Constraints • Variations in data collection • Data quality • Resources/Targets • Accountability/Ownership • Training

30. Implementation of a local Injury Surveillance System

31. What can be achieved? • Data has potential to….. • Identify Hotspots • Identify Licensed Premises • Identify Vulnerable groups

32. Police and other agency response: - Short term • Targeted Deployment of Resources ( multi agency ) • CCTV • Targeting Licensed Premises Longer term • Planning/license restrictions • Multi agency interventions e.g P.C.T re Binge Drinking • Parenting programmes etc. • Inform strategies/Evaluate interventions

33. Benefits Reduce: • Violent crime Reduce: • Ambulance call outs • A&E admissions • Hospital admissions Meet National Targets • Improve: • Improve health • Improve night time economy • Increase diversity • Free up resources • Facilitate information sharing and partnership working

34. Summary • Violence is a health and criminal justice issue • Multiple data sources should be shared and used • Priority to improve data collection • Multi-agency approach

35. Contactdetails Zara Anderson (TIIG analyst) (Data queries) Centre For Public Health Liverpool John Moores University Castle House North Street Liverpool, L3 2AY Tel: +44 (0)151 231 4505 Email: z.a.anderson@livjm.ac.uk Linda Turner (TIIG Commissioner) (Strategic queries) South Sefton Primary Care Trust Burlington House Waterloo Liverpool, L22 0QB Tel: +44 (0)151 478 1262 Email: linda.turner@southsefton-pct.nhs.uk Website: www.nwpho.org.uk/ait