HEALTH AND PUBLIC SECTOR
PROFESSIONALS TO HELP IMPROVE HEALTH SERVICES FOR VICTIMS OF
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
News Release issued by
the COI News Distribution Service on 11 September 2009
Health and public
sector professionals are being asked for their views on how the
NHS can improve its services for women and girls who have been
victims of violence and sexual assault, Health Minister Ann Keen
announced today.
Each year, across the UK, 3 million women experience violence
including domestic violence, sexual violence, forced marriage and
trafficking. The Taskforce on the health aspects of violence
against women and girls is holding a month long in a listening
exercise to collect feedback from health and other public sector
professionals.
Health Minister Ann Keen said;
“Almost one in three women will experience domestic violence at
some point during their lives and nearly one in four will
experience some form of sexual assault. Furthermore, more than
a third of all rapes recorded by the police are committed
against children under 16 years of age.
“We know that victims of
violence can find it easier to seek help from trusted health
professionals and that is why we want health and public sector
professionals to tell us what they think of the service provided
by the NHS and how it might be improved.
“This will form a valuable contribution to a cross-Government
strategy, to be published later this year, which aims to ensure
that all frontline services work closely together to reduce
violence against women and girls and provide the best possible
support to victims.”
Health and public sector professionals will be asked for their
views on areas including:
· Service delivery - early identification, access to
healthcare services, staff awareness and attitudes maximising NHS resources
· Service commissioning – needs assessment, NHS
commissioning, joint commissioning, commissioning from non-NHS providers
· Partnership working – information sharing, service
level agreements and protocols, collaborative service delivery
Health and public sector professionals should go to www.dh.gov.uk/vawg to
register their views by the 14 October 2009.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. Health and public sector professionals’ comments will help to
inform the Taskforce’s recommendations, which will in turn feed
into the strategy, ‘Together we can End Violence Against Women.’
2. The consultation will be for all healthcare staff, whether
directly involved in the delivery of healthcare services (eg
frontline staff such as nurses, GPs, midwives and ambulance
workers) or involved in managing or commissioning NHS services. We
would also like to gather views from others who work in
partnership with NHS services, such as police or teachers, and
from individuals who work in organisations that provide support
services for victims of violence on behalf of the NHS, such as
third sector organisations.
3. The Taskforce is chaired by Professor Sir George Alberti, and
was announced by Alan Johnson and Jacqui Smith, then Health and
Home Secretaries, on 13 May 2009, in response to issues raised
during the Home Office consultation ‘Together We Can End Violence
Against Women and Girls’. The Taskforce has been set up to
identify the role and response of health services in preventing,
identifying and supporting women and girls who are victims of
violence and abuse, and to make recommendations on what more could
be done to meet their needs.
4. The work of the Taskforce will be shaped by a Steering Group,
which will oversee work carried out in four specialist Sub-groups,
covering domestic violence, sexual violence against women, sexual
violence against children and harmful traditional practices,
including forced marriages, female genital mutilation (FGM) and
honour-based violence; and human trafficking.
5. The Taskforce is expected to deliver interim findings by late
October, to feed into the Government’s overall strategy on
violence against women and girls (due to be published in November)
and a report with full recommendations early in the New Year.
6. For media enquiries only contact the Department of Health
Media Centre on tel: 7210 5221
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk