NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day (NHSDAAD) takes place today (Wednesday 10 December) with a wave of activity across the country. DAUK and the Medical Women’s Federation (MWF) have joined together to launch NHSDAAD. The day highlights the urgent need to recognize and respond to domestic abuse affecting NHS staff. It also recognizes the unique barriers they can face seeking help. Learn more about the campaign.
Black Female Doctors UK is the latest organization to give its support to NHS DAAD. It joins 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, the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund, and the Royal College of Physicians.
Staff and organizations – including the BMA – have been posting on social media using the hashtag #NHSDAAD.
Journalist Adele Waters has written a powerful must-read article in the BMJ on domestic abuse in NHS workers. The article includes the real-life stories of NHS workers who have experienced abusive relationships. It also highlights the research and work being done on the issue.
Elsewhere, organizers of NHSDAAD have launched a podcast to discuss domestic abuse among NHS staff. Dr Sarah Jacques, DAUK GP co-lead, MWF campaigns co-lead, and an organizer of NHSDAAD, hosts episode one. Dr Jacques welcomes Dr Becky Cox, co-founder of campaign organization Surviving in Scrubs, to discuss domestic abuse among healthcare professionals and why NHS employers need to recognize the role they can play in protecting their staff.
Episode two is hosted by Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK co-chair, MWF campaigns co-lead and an organizer of NHSDAAD, and by Dr Seema Haider, a GP, writer, and advocate for gender equity and the prevention of violence against women and girls within the NHS. The podcast explores subtle abuse, particularly in relationships involving professional women. Psychotherapist Dr Rosemary Parkinson shares insights from her research, highlighting the psychological impact of subtle abuse and the importance of recognizing and naming it abuse.
NHS staff and patients can get involved in NHSDAAD by wearing white ribbons, the symbol of the movement to end men’s violence against women and girls.