Unique emergency service is NICE finalist

Tuesday 2 June 2015


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A unique service that offers help and support to victims of domestic violence in the Emergency Department (A&E) at St Thomas’ Hospital is a finalist in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Shared Learning Awards 2015.

The Reach service, which provides a multi-lingual adviser to support men, women and children who attend the Emergency Department in vulnerable situations, is one of only three projects shortlisted for the awards.

The Shared Learning Awards recognise examples of how NICE guidance and standards are put into practice in the NHS, local authorities, or voluntary and other organisations.

Laura Stretch, Reach service manager at St Thomas’, says: “We’re so pleased to be a finalist in the awards. This recognition will allow others to see how our service works so they can learn from our initiative and use it to help other vulnerable people.

“Domestic violence is not something people usually associate with an Emergency Department, so having staff trained to recognise it makes the entire department feel more able to broach the subject and to do something to help.

“The Reach service is reducing both the risk of recurrent harm to our patients and attendances to the Emergency Department.”

The Reach service works in line with NICE public health guidance on domestic violence and abuse which recommends specialist advice, advocacy and support in settings where people may report violence and abuse.

The Reach team will present their work to delegates at the NICE Annual Conference in October, who will then vote for the overall winner.

 

Last updated: March 2022

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