New report from LJMU’s Centre for Public Health/ Decrease in violence-related incidents at Greater Manchester A&Es

Report shows decrease in Greater Manchester A&E violence

A new report from LJMU’s Centre for Public Health has found that the number of violence-related incidents in Greater Manchester Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments has fallen by 22%.

Researchers from the Trauma and Injury Intelligence Group (TIIG) at the Centre for Public Health have produced a report looking at the levels of violence across Greater Manchester. Figures within this report have been obtained using data from Greater Manchester A&E departments and from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).

Data from TIIG can be used to ascertain levels of violence, types of violence and the demographics of those involved in violent incidents. This report finds that between 2009/10 and 2013/14 the number of violence-related A&E attendances fell from 16,413 to 12,875. This represents a 22% decrease in violence-related attendances across this time period. Similarly the number of violence-related ambulance call outs has also steadily decreased. 

Between April 2011 and March 2014, close to 40,000 violence-related attendances were made to a Greater Manchester A&E by Greater Manchester residents.

Alcohol is often a contributing factor to violence-related incidents. At the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan between April 2013 and March 2014, over three quarters of those who had been involved in a violence-related attendance had consumed alcohol in the previous 12 hours. 

TIIG was set up in 2001 and provides access to reliable information on intentional and unintentional injuries across the North West of England.

Jennifer Brizell, Research Analyst from LJMU’s Centre for Public Health and joint author of the report, commented: “TIIG data allows us to identify trends in intentional and unintentional injuries. This information can be shared with local partners to help target their tactical and strategic interventions and adds weight to other data sources such as police-recorded crime.”

She continued: “This latest report shows that violence-related A&E attendances have steadily decreased in Greater Manchester over the past five years, continued relationships between TIIG and those working in local violence prevention can only serve to help in reducing violence by identifying those most at risk.”

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