Report attached.

Wendy Bulman, Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead, Shropshire Council

The Board received the report of the Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead for Shropshire Council which presented key findings from the Shropshire Domestic Abuse Needs Assessment (2022-24) with a focus on the role of the Health and Wellbeing Board in addressing Domestic Abuse.

The Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead presented the key findings from the 2022-24 Domestic Abuse Needs Assessment.  She drew attention to the Board’s role in shaping a response through a coordinated approach across the health sector and highlighted how the report aligned to the Board’s priorities including to reduce inequalities. Finally, she drew attention to the strategic recommendations, the overarching recommendation was to ask the Board to support and task the domestic abuse leads from across all health partnerships to go along to the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board in order to strengthen the local response to domestic abuse and reduce the long-term impact for individuals and for services.

The Director of Partnerships, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin felt that the Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead could be linked into the neighbourhood working particularly around the women’s health hubs and she would discuss this with her outside of the meeting.  It was felt that more training was needed for primary care and general practice in particular and she agreed to pick this up with her Medical Director and their Education Lead GPs.  She would also link the Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead with their Health Inequalities Lead to ensure that inequalities were thought about when looking at domestic abuse. 

The Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead referred to the Iris project which aimed to have a trained specialist attached to GP practices who was able to provide direct support to victims of domestic abuse. In response to a question around perpetrators, the Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead explained that there was a community programme focusing on misogyny and youth education in schools which was funded until the end of this financial year.

Picking up on the link between domestic abuse and mental health crises, it was felt that the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT) had a crucial role to play in this area and a query was raised as to whether there been any conversations around the MPFT’s support for those who were suffering mental health crisis associated with domestic abuse.  In response, the Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead informed the meeting that work was currently ongoing with public health, working with health providers including MPFT around mental health, substance use and domestic abuse to set up protocols to better respond so that there was a quicker response and an easier pathway for people to access. However, it was recognised that the health system was such a wide area that one pathway and one protocol did not fit all. 

Following feedback from Age UK that domestic abuse was very under reported in older people, a query was raised as to whether more enhanced data relating to over 65s was available.  In response, the Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead reported that the survey currently being undertaken was asking people of all ages, from 7 years old and up to complete it.  So far 17 responses had been received from 65–74-year-olds along with two 75+ year olds.  She agreed to pass the survey to Age UK for them to take part and provide that information, they had also been invited to attend the market engagement session. 

Members of the Board offered their support to the Domestic Abuse Strategic Lead and a brief discussion ensued in relation to the importance of promoting healthy relationships, preventative youth work, and consideration of cultural issues.  The Director of Public Health stressed the importance of a continued commitment to the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board and for partners to take forward the recommendations contained within the report.

Finally, the Chair felt that this would be a really good topic for an ICB development session.

RESOLVED:

to note the update and task the Domestic Abuse leads from across the Health Partnership/Workforce to come to the Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board to collaborate, with the aim of strengthening the local response to domestic abuse and reduce its long-term impact on individuals and services.