Shocking figures reveal assaults in Black Country
More than 1,750 people in the Black Country and Birmingham were admitted to hospital after being attacked in one year, new figures show.
Out of a population of almost 2.5million, it means the region had 7.2 assault admissions per 10,000 people.
The rate in Staffordshire and Shropshire was lower at 3.2 admissions per 10,000 people. During the period, from May 2014 to April this year, there were 509 instances a person was admitted to hospital after an attack.
The figures, released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, showed people living in Merseyside were most likely to be hospitalised after an attack with 13 assault admissions per 10,000 people.
Overall, the statistics show a general decline in violence cases being dealt with in NHS hospitals, although the number of women going to hospital accident and emergency units after being attacked is falling at a slower rate than men.
The report said: "A&E attendances due to assault were much higher for males than females, with males accounting for 71.3 per cent of A&E attendances.
"However, over a five-year period the proportion of female attendances has increased from 25.6 per cent to 28.6 per cent, indicating that A&E attendances caused by assault are reducing at a slower rate for females than males."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "It is encouraging to see hospital admissions and A&E attendances due to assault continue to fall.
"More than 100 hospitals are sharing anonymised information with local community safety teams to help them successfully tackle violence in their communities."
