Health and VAWG letter of priorities for the new Health and Social Care Secretary

The new Government is formed and today we sent a letter to the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting MP signed by 16 organisations, setting out our urgent call to support domestic abuse and VAWG (violence against women and girls) victims/survivors and their children in health settings.

We have outlined 4 priorities with our key recommendations to transform the health response to domestic abuse:

1. Sustainable long-term funding for domestic abuse initiatives within all health settings.

2. Ongoing training, learning and development for health professionals on domestic abuse alongside protected time for health professionals to undertake this.

3. Building a coordinated community response to health and domestic abuse through partnership working with health, domestic abuse services, 'by and for' services and wider multiagency safeguarding stakeholders.

4. Clear data recording methods, monitoring, sharing, and including clinical coding for domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse should be at the top of their agenda because:

• 80% of women experiencing domestic abuse seek help from health services

• Domestic abuse annually costs the NHS an estimated £2.3 billion

• Most importantly, it will save lives.

Action needs to happen now.

Read the full letter here.

Sources: Gov.uk | NICE 2023