Who we help - Patient and exposure profiles
A large proportion of telephone enquiries relate to children and young people (0-19 years) and, at the other end of the scale, to older people (over 60 years), reflecting the vulnerability of these two groups to poisoning.
In the younger age group, male and female patients are equally affected, while in the older age group more men than women are the subject of enquiries.
Overall across all enquiries, almost nine out of ten exposures (87%) happen in the home, with a small number occurring in agricultural and other workplaces, medical facilities and other locations. Almost half (47%) involve accidental poisonings, while more than a quarter (26%) are deliberate, with 20% attributed to medication error and 2% to substance abuse.
Commonly alcohol is a problem in all age groups, involving accidental, recreational and intentional overdoses. It is also often a complicating factor in many poisonings with other substances.
Most telephone enquiries come from doctors (45%) and nurses (42%). Around a third (19,000) involve children under 10, and a further 11% young people between 10 and 19 years. This reflects the frequency of accidental poisonings among young people.
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