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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/31/nhs-acid-attacks-report-remove-rinse
NHS reveals rising toll of acid attacks and advises: report, remove, rinse
Number of patients needing specialist treatment after most serious incidents has doubled in three years, says NHS England
Motorbike drivers protest against acid attacks in London last month.
Motorbike drivers protest against acid attacks in London last month. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft
Haroon Siddique
Thursday 31 August 2017 00.01 BST
Last modified on Thursday 31 August 2017 00.02 BST
The number of people requiring specialist treatment for acid attacks has doubled over the last three years, NHS England has revealed, as it issued first aid guidance on how to help victims.
Following a spate of recent assaults using corrosive substances, the NHS is predicting that the number of people receiving intensive treatment such as reconstructive or eye surgery will continue to rise.
The figures, published on Thursday, compiled from the 28 specialist burns centres in England, paint only a partial picture of the scale of the problem, as they only capture the most serious incidents, but nevertheless make alarming reading.
One burns centre, St Andrew’s in Essex, which serves London and the south-east, is on course to help more than 30 people this year, compared to the 32 who received specialist treatment across the whole of England last year. That was up from 16 in in 2014 and 25 in 2015.
Prof Chris Moran, national clinical director for trauma at NHS England, said: “Whilst this type of criminal assault remains rare, the NHS is caring for an increasing number of people who have fallen victim to these cowardly attacks.
“One moment of thoughtless violence can result in serious physical pain and mental trauma, which can involve months if not years of costly and specialist NHS treatment.”
NHS England has partnered up with leading burns surgeons who have treated acid attack victims to issue first aid guidance, instructing the public to “report, remove, rinse”:
Report the attack: dial 999.
Remove contaminated clothing carefully.
Rinse skin immediately in running water.
David Ward, president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), which helped develop the guidance, said surgeons had “seen first-hand the devastating impact on patients admitted to A&E after vicious corrosive substance attacks. They cause severe pain, scarring which can be lifelong, and can damage the sight, sometimes leading to blindness. Unfortunately these vindictive attacks are on the increase.
Surge in acid attacks in England leads to calls to restrict sales
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“The minutes after an acid attack are critical for helping a victim. This guidance BAPRAS has published with NHS England gives the important, urgent steps a victim or witness can take to help reduce the immediate pain and damage, and long-term injuries.”
Corrosive substances are increasingly being used in assaults or robberies, with experts pointing to a crackdown on the use of knives and guns, leading street gangs to instead use more readily available corrosive substances, as a reason for the rise.
The number of crimes using acid or other “noxious substances” has more than doubled in London over the last three years, from 186 in 2014-15 to 397 in 2016-17, official figures show, including 45 in April this year. Large percentage increases have also been recorded elsewhere, including in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
Recent incidents include the attack on Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, who had acid thrown through their car window on Khan’s 21st birthday on 21 June in Beckton, east London. They both suffered horrific face and neck injuries. John Tomlin, 24, has been charged with grievous bodily harm in relation to the attack.
Delivery drivers have expressed particular fears for their safety after Jabed Hussain, an UberEats driver, had acid thrown over him by two men who stole his moped, in the first of five acid attacks to take place in a three-mile radius in 90 minutes across east London last month.
NHS England said it had liaised with organisations including police forces, ambulance services and the Royal College of Surgeons to ensure the first aid advice was also shared with frontline emergency service staff. Last month, it was announced that police officers in London were being issued with 1,000 acid attack response kits, including protective gear and five-litre bottles of water, to allow officers to give immediate treatment to victims.
Topics
Acid attacks
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/31/nhs-acid-attacks-report-remove-rinse
NHS reveals rising toll of acid attacks and advises: report, remove, rinse
Number of patients needing specialist treatment after most serious incidents has doubled in three years, says NHS England
Motorbike drivers protest against acid attacks in London last month.
Motorbike drivers protest against acid attacks in London last month. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft
Haroon Siddique
Thursday 31 August 2017 00.01 BST
Last modified on Thursday 31 August 2017 00.02 BST
The number of people requiring specialist treatment for acid attacks has doubled over the last three years, NHS England has revealed, as it issued first aid guidance on how to help victims.
Following a spate of recent assaults using corrosive substances, the NHS is predicting that the number of people receiving intensive treatment such as reconstructive or eye surgery will continue to rise.
The figures, published on Thursday, compiled from the 28 specialist burns centres in England, paint only a partial picture of the scale of the problem, as they only capture the most serious incidents, but nevertheless make alarming reading.
One burns centre, St Andrew’s in Essex, which serves London and the south-east, is on course to help more than 30 people this year, compared to the 32 who received specialist treatment across the whole of England last year. That was up from 16 in in 2014 and 25 in 2015.
Prof Chris Moran, national clinical director for trauma at NHS England, said: “Whilst this type of criminal assault remains rare, the NHS is caring for an increasing number of people who have fallen victim to these cowardly attacks.
“One moment of thoughtless violence can result in serious physical pain and mental trauma, which can involve months if not years of costly and specialist NHS treatment.”
NHS England has partnered up with leading burns surgeons who have treated acid attack victims to issue first aid guidance, instructing the public to “report, remove, rinse”:
Report the attack: dial 999.
Remove contaminated clothing carefully.
Rinse skin immediately in running water.
David Ward, president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), which helped develop the guidance, said surgeons had “seen first-hand the devastating impact on patients admitted to A&E after vicious corrosive substance attacks. They cause severe pain, scarring which can be lifelong, and can damage the sight, sometimes leading to blindness. Unfortunately these vindictive attacks are on the increase.
Surge in acid attacks in England leads to calls to restrict sales
Read more
“The minutes after an acid attack are critical for helping a victim. This guidance BAPRAS has published with NHS England gives the important, urgent steps a victim or witness can take to help reduce the immediate pain and damage, and long-term injuries.”
Corrosive substances are increasingly being used in assaults or robberies, with experts pointing to a crackdown on the use of knives and guns, leading street gangs to instead use more readily available corrosive substances, as a reason for the rise.
The number of crimes using acid or other “noxious substances” has more than doubled in London over the last three years, from 186 in 2014-15 to 397 in 2016-17, official figures show, including 45 in April this year. Large percentage increases have also been recorded elsewhere, including in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
Recent incidents include the attack on Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, who had acid thrown through their car window on Khan’s 21st birthday on 21 June in Beckton, east London. They both suffered horrific face and neck injuries. John Tomlin, 24, has been charged with grievous bodily harm in relation to the attack.
Delivery drivers have expressed particular fears for their safety after Jabed Hussain, an UberEats driver, had acid thrown over him by two men who stole his moped, in the first of five acid attacks to take place in a three-mile radius in 90 minutes across east London last month.
NHS England said it had liaised with organisations including police forces, ambulance services and the Royal College of Surgeons to ensure the first aid advice was also shared with frontline emergency service staff. Last month, it was announced that police officers in London were being issued with 1,000 acid attack response kits, including protective gear and five-litre bottles of water, to allow officers to give immediate treatment to victims.
Topics
Acid attacks
