Experiences of NHS services of people escaping domestic abuse
Download (PDF 880.37 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Coventry worked with Valley House, a local charity supporting people fleeing domestic abuse, to understand the experiences of access to health care for this group of people. They spoke to 30 people via a survey and a focus group.
Access to GP services was the biggest area of concern for those who took part in this piece of work. This had a knock on impact on access to other services. There were some specific challenges related to domestic abuse in terms of confidentiality concerns. Due to fleeing from domestic abuse, many women and children do not have photo ID or documentation. Some women were told by Coventry GP practices that they needed this information in order to register at the practice. Others were told that registration took a period of weeks.
Understanding of domestic abuse and compassionate interactions with staff at GP practices were highlighted as areas for improvement. Access to appointments, waits to get appointments, challenges of phone queues and on the day appointment systems were highlighted.
Mental health support received positive feedback although waiting times varied and four women told stories of delays to access which they saw as significant. Valley House played a valuable role in enabling women to understand and access mental health services such as those provided by MIND. The people Valley House support are often new to the area and comments showed they did not know how to find out about services or what to expect.
Experiences of hospital services and urgent care were largely positive. Waiting times in A&E were a problem for some. Navigating the layout of University Hospital Coventry was an issue for discussion group participants. Two women were not able to navigate urgent care services due to poor communication by services.
One woman had very poor maternity experience and two others were concerned about waiting times.
The report has four recommendations about access to services, registration, training for GP staff and information about mental health services.