Domestic Abuse team heralded nationally by visit from NHS England colleagues
06 October 2022
On Thursday 6 October, our pioneering Domestic Abuse team welcomed the NHS England Domestic Abuse team, including Catherine Hinwood, NHSE Lead for Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence.
On Thursday 6 October, our pioneering Domestic Abuse team, led by Trust Domestic Abuse Lead Dr Charlotte Cohen, Consultant in Genito-urinary Medicine and HIV, welcomed the NHS England (NHSE) Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence team, with their new lead Catherine Hinwood.
The NHSE team are leading a new programme of care under specialised commissioning which signals a focus on domestic abuse as a health issue.
At Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the team heard the first-hand perspective of responding to domestic abuse in an acute setting. During sessions in our Boardroom and CW+ MediCinema, our colleagues shared their expertise and advocated for improvement on a national level for people impacted by domestic abuse and sexual violence.
The NHSE team met our specialist Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) from Victim Support and Galop, with our Domestic Abuse Coordinator from Standing Together, alongside our Domestic Abuse Link staff.
The NHSE team attended a practitioner event with staff from across our Trust, exchanging ideas on further improvements to data entry systems and reporting structures, sharing expertise, and advocating for a consistent approach nationally.
Dr Charlotte Cohen said:
“The event was a great success, and it was encouraging to receive so much support from our national colleagues. By working in partnership with the new NHS England Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence team, I hope that our model of response to domestic abuse can provide a framework for other acute Trusts. I am excited about our alliance, which ultimately aims to improve outcomes for all survivors identified within healthcare settings.”