Some 5700 cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) recorded in the first annual statistics collected by the HSCIC.
More than half of these cases were reported in the London NHS Commissioning Region - 52% (2940) of newly recorded cases and 58% (5020) of total attendances. Self-report was the most frequent method of FGM identification accounting for 73% (2770) of cases where the FGM identification method was known.
Responsible statistician Peter Knighton, said: 'This is the first time that annual data have been collected and published to give an insight into the practice and prevalence of FGM in England. The resulting data will support the Department of Health's FGM Prevention Programme and improve the NHS response to FGM by raising awareness, enabling the provision of services and management of FGM, and safeguarding girls at risk.'
The 5 to 9 year old age group was the most common age range at which FGM was undertaken. This equates to 43% (582) of the total number of cases from any country, where the age at the time of undertaking was known.
Carmel Bagness, professional lead for midwifery and women’s health said: 'Collecting and publishing these statistics is an important part of the fight against FGM. They can be used to better plan local services to meet the needs of women and girls, and to target training for nurses and midwives.
She added the 'statistics show is that there is still a lot of work to do to eradicate this abuse. A lot has been achieved in the past few years, but these efforts must continue for as long as there are still women and girls subjected to this criminal abuse'.
FGM reporting became mandatory for NHS Trusts and GP practices last year in order to record accurate data on FGM cases.
On 19 July an event was held at the House of Lords, to commemorate the second anniversary of the Girl Summit and the release of a new video dispelling myths around FGM.
Nicola Blackwood, the newly appointed minister for public health, said at the launch that she was committed to 'eradicating FGM in a generation'.
'Now that we have this data we can work to meet patient need all over England. In the next phase of the prevention plan we need to look at supporting the mental health of survivors and the cost to the NHS of treating complications from those who have undergone FGM. This fight is far from over,' she added.