If you work in homecare or even in private nursing, then you will know that domestic abuse is on the rise. A lot of this has stemmed from lockdown, as people are having to spend more time indoors with potentially abusive partners. Senior nurses who work at the NHS England have stated that they have in fact signed a letter to try and urge staff to help women seek help if they have suffered any kind of sexual violence or abuse. This comes in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard. The amount of people who are now seeking help from sexual assault clinics has halved, not long after the first lockdown. That being said, all of the figures are showing that the amount of abuse and violence has actually increased. This is shocking to say the least and it just goes to show that people are not seeking the support they need.

With the devastating impact that violence has on women being back in the news, NHS England have released a statement saying that they are very keen to try and encourage women to use the health services that are there for them. They have stated that it is important that people share their experiences and that they do everything they can to call out for assistance when they truly need it. The open letter is designed to target trust executives as well as chief midwives. Regional chief nurses are also being targeted to try and make sure that they are able to recognise the signs of abuse and that they take the right action to ensure that they are giving the level of support required. This is the only way that people are going to be able to move past their violent experiences, and trust in the system to help them.