Staff in A & E units at Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw are taking part in the Injury Surveillance pilot, a joint initiative between NHS Lanarkshire and the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). The project aims to target health and police resources more effectively by identifying hotspots and preventing violence before it occurs.

 

“We estimate between three to six per cent of the health budget in Scotland is spent on treating victims of violence,” says Carol McLeod, Injury Surveillance project lead.

 

“Much of that violence is preventable. Yet targeting problem areas can be difficult – violence is underreported by as much as 50 – 70 per cent. That means victims are being denied access to relevant services and the police are allocating resources based on only a fraction of the necessary information. That’s why Injury Surveillance is so important.”

 

Based on a model developed by Jonathan Shepherd, Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Cardiff, Injury Surveillance involves nurses and medics collecting anonymous data on assaults – location, time, but not names – each time a victim attends hospital. This information is then shared with police to help give a better picture of where and when violence occurs.

 

The Cardiff study found there was a 20 per cent reduction in the number of assault patients attending A&E following the introduction of Injury Surveillance. An equivalent system in Lanarkshire could mean huge numbers of potential victims being prevented from suffering physical and psychological damage through violent crime.

 

In addition, because Injury Surveillance uses existing hospital computer systems to record the required information, the costs of implementing the project are minimal.

 

The pilot, which was named as a priority in the Scottish Government’s Equally Well report, will begin a phased roll out this month, starting at Hairmyres before moving on to Wishaw and then Monklands.

 

It is anticipated that Injury Surveillance will also help the health board work towards government HEAT targets to work with partners to reduce A&E admissions.