The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund is the latest organisation to support NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day.
NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day is being launched by DAUK and the Medical Women’s Federation (MWF). It takes place on Wednesday 10 December.
The day highlights the urgent need to recognise and respond to domestic abuse affecting NHS staff, and to recognise the unique barriers they can face seeking help.
It was launched on White Ribbon Day (25 November), a global campaign to end violence against women and girls.
NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day
White Ribbon Day marks 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. They finish on 10 December when NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day takes place.
NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day also has the support of NHS Practitioner Health, Doctors in Distress, Surviving in Scrubs, BRIGHT (Bristol Research on the Intersection of Gender, Health, and Trauma), IRISi Intervention, Cameron Fund, Cavell, the Healthcare Leadership Academy, and the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.
Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK co-chair, MWF campaigns co-lead and an organiser of NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day, said: “NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day is gathering momentum and we’re grateful for the support from so many organisations.
“We’ve also had a lot of support for the campaign from male allies including Dr Zaid Al-Najjar, medical director of NHS Practitioner Health, Dr Adrian Boyle, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and Professor Gene Feder, professor of Primary Care at the University of Bristol.
Domestic abuse
“We need the support of everyone in the NHS to ensure that our colleagues experiencing domestic abuse are seen, heard, and supported, and to bring about lasting change.”
The day is also generating media interest with Doctors.Net.UK the latest publication to feature it.
The Doctors.Net.UK report includes figures from the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund, which has seen a ‘significant’ increase in doctors seeking help for domestic abuse over the past five years. Domestic abuse now accounts for 6% of the charity’s total caseload.
The report also features the story of Elina, 35, a registrar and international medical graduate, who experienced abuse in a relationship for a year.
Media
News articles have also featured in Morning Star, Management in Practice, and the Carlisle and North Cumbria News and Star.
Dr Sarah Jacques is DAUK GP co-lead, MWF campaigns co-lead and an organiser of NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day. She said: “This campaign will be deeply personal to a lot of NHS staff.
“NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day is our commitment to creating a culture where people feel safe to come forward, are met with compassion, and can access support when they need it most.”
NHS staff and patients can get involved on the day by wearing white ribbons, the global symbol of the movement to end men’s violence against women and girls.
#NHSDAAD
They can also post on social media using the hashtag #NHSDAAD.
Read more about NHS Domestic Awareness Day, and access NHS Domestic Abuse Day resources for healthcare professionals and organisations.
DAUK committee members are volunteers and campaign about issues facing doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.
