NHS chief backs campaign to tackle domestic violence

The head of NHS England has highlighted the prevalence of domestic abuse faced by health staff in the UK as she also condemned the “abhorrent behaviour across society”.

- REBECCA THOMAS

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the health service in England – Britain’s biggest employer with more than 1.5 million staff – said the #MeToo movement had helped to shine a light on abuse within the care system, but also said there was more to be done.

Latest figures show that more than 50,000 NHS staff revealed that they had experienced domestic abuse over the course of a single year.

Ms Pritchard made her intervention as she leant her support to the The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign, which is raising money to build safe houses for victims of domestic abuse.

She and the board of NHS England have joined figures such as Sir Keir Starmer and the Queen, as well as readers of The Independent, in backing and donating to the cause, which has raised more than £500,000 so far.

Writing exclusively for The Independent she said: “Not only does this incredibly thoughtful campaign provide a way out for people affected by domestic violence but it has also started an important national conversation about domestic violence.

“The #MeToo movement has powerfully called out this type of abhorrent behaviour across society, and we have seen it within our own NHS workforce, where colleagues and staff tell us they have started to feel a shift in attitudes, thanks to recent investigations by The Independent and others who have shone a stark light on the issue.”

According to NHS England figures, last year of the 51,355 staff who came forward, 44,825 were women and 6,530 were men.