Innovative Domestic Abuse Programme in Havering and Redbridge
A national initiative to help GPs identify and support patients experiencing domestic abuse is running in Havering and Redbridge.
Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS) is a highly successful, general-practice-based domestic abuse training and referral programme, developed and coordinated by the social enterprise IRISi.
It’s the first of its kind in Redbridge and Havering. The programme pairs domestic abuse specialists Colette Taylor and Fatima Qureshi from Aanchal Women’s Aid (known as IRIS Advocate Educators) with local clinical leads, Dr. Pratheep Suntharamoorthy and Ruth Rothman (Primary Care Consultant Nurse for Safeguarding Children, Redbridge). Together, they co-deliver training sessions and offer ongoing peer support across practices. Advocate Educators can work within practices, enabling clinical staff to refer patients directly to them for expert assistance. Clinicians and NHS staff can also seek support if they are experiencing domestic abuse themselves.
The IRIS programme equips clinicians to identify women aged 16 and older who may be experiencing domestic violence or abuse from a current or former partner or adult family member. It provides a pathway for referral to a trained Advocate Educator for support. The programme also ensures that men affected by domestic abuse can access specialist help. This collaborative model is already delivering impressive outcomes in over 1,000 general practices across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It improves patient safety while reducing NHS costs.
Research estimates show that the IRIS programme costs the NHS just £6 per woman and saves £14 per woman over a decade when considering societal impact and increased quality-adjusted life years.
Key Features
- Specialist Training: Tailored sessions to help clinicians handle domestic abuse disclosures, including those involving perpetrators.
- Direct Referrals: A streamlined process for referring patients to Advocate Educators, reducing clinicians’ workload.
- Enhanced Safeguarding: Strengthened responses to protect vulnerable adults and children.
- CPD Accreditation: Training counts toward clinicians’ CPD points and Level 3 Safeguarding Adult and Children certification.
By engaging with the IRIS programme, your practice will be recognized as a DVA-aware practice. You will gain access to expert consultants, valuable resources, and training that can make a tangible difference in patient care and community safety.
For more information or to get involved, don’t hesitate to contact Colette Taylor, c.taylor@aanchal.org.uk, 0203 384 9412.