Nottingham West leads local support for the first NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day

Nottingham West PCN is supporting the first NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day (#NHSDAAD) on 10 December and the ongoing White Ribbon campaign, alongside colleagues from Broxtowe Women’s Project. Founded by Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) and the Medical Women’s Federation (MWF), the aim of #NHSDAAD is to shine a light on the high prevalence of domestic abuse among healthcare professionals and urge NHS employers to ensure robust policies are in place so that staff facing abuse have support and safety in their place of work.

It is acknowledged that domestic abuse occurs across society, regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality, disability or wealth – while it is also accepted that it is predominately women who suffer as a result of it. Growing research in this area is showing that health care professionals are three times more likely to experience domestic abuse than the average person in the UK. Three women die each week as a result of domestic abuse and a UK 10 year femicide census showed that ‘healthcare professional’ was one of the most common occupations of victims.

The NHS is one of the world’s largest employers, with 1.7 million employees in the NHS in England alone. Almost three quarters of this number are female, with 31% from an ethnic minority background.

The PCN is sharing the campaign materials with all its GP practice partners as well as raising awareness among PCN staff. Clinical Lead for Health Inequalities Clare Watson said: “It’s hugely important for us to recognise that not only do our teams have a responsibility to support patients where they suspect domestic abuse, we also need to support our own friends and colleagues and understand that anyone can be affected by domestic abuse.”

Look out for lots of social media activity on 10 December.