Trends in the use of accident and emergency services by the homeless on the Wirral.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the use of accident and emergency (A&E) services by the homeless, with particular reference to the use of psychiatric services generated by this attendance.


METHODS
A retrospective study of attendance registers at a large A&E department over an eight year period, during which there were 566 separate attendances by homeless patients out of a total of 421 237 adult attendances (1.3 per 1000).


RESULTS
There was no significant change in rates of attendances over the eight year period (P = 0.41), in the broad demographic details of the groups, or in the use of psychiatric services.


CONCLUSIONS
There has been no significant increase in the use of A&E services by homeless people in the population studied over the eight year period. Several possible explanations for this are given.
Earnshaw
S M
SM
Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, UK.
Barnes
R C
RC
Brown
R
R
D000328:Adult; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies