Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire is calling for more to be done to prevent incidents of self harm amongst the under 18 age group.
Gavin recently raised the issue in Parliament and is presently awaiting a response from Health Ministers about what action is being taken to deal with this important national concern.
In 2012-13, 208 people under the age of 18, residing in the former South Staffordshire Primary Trust (PCT) area, attended A &E as a result of deliberate self-harm.
Over the same period, there were 192 finished admission episodes (FAEs), with a cause of self harm.
Gavin said: “These are terrifying figures and it is likely that there are many more cases that continue to go unreported. We need to isolate the cause of these incidents and ensure that these most vulnerable members of our community are protected.
“Depression is a horrifying and debilitating illness, and we need to ensure that young people are receiving the support they need to stay safe. This is why I am calling on Ministers to take action on this matter and stop self harm amongst our youth.”
A FAE is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.
It is possible that the same person may be counted as an FAE and an A & E Attendance if an attendance at A & E for injury due to self harm has resulted in the patient being admitted to hospital as an inpatient for further treatment.