Domestic abuse 'rife' amongst healthcare workers as NHS launches first awareness day

Credit: bymuratdeniz

By Ellie Broughton

A group of doctors is launching the NHS’s first domestic abuse awareness day this month in response to a significant rise in cases amongst healthcare workers.

NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day, which will take place on 10 December, has been organised by the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) and the Medical Women’s Federation, and aims to raise awareness of the prevalence and risk of domestic abuse (DA) amongst healthcare workers including doctors.

DAUK is putting together an NHS Employers toolkit to support employers to write safeguarding policies that protect staff at risk of DA.

Organisers also hope to create a confidential, single point of access service specifically for doctors and other healthcare workers affected by abuse, tailored to specific challenges that they face when dealing with DA.

The initiative has support from organisations including NHS England, the BMA and RCGP, Women’s Aid, NHS Practitioner Health, BAPIO, The Cameron Fund and Surviving In Scrubs.