The research will involve three connected stages:

• Online survey for healthcare professionals working in primary care and community healthcare settings.

If you are a healthcare professional working in primary or community care in England who has experienced domestic abuse, or if you work in a role where you may support healthcare staff who have experienced abuse, please consider completing our survey. The survey asks questions about your experiences and about the support options available.

We appreciate that questions about domestic abuse can be incredibly difficult to read and to answer. If you have experienced domestic abuse, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and there are people ready to listen and help. Details of support options are included in the survey, including the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (for women), which you can contact on 0808 2000 247 anytime, and Respect Men’s Advice Line (0808 8010327 - Mon–Fri 10am-8pm).

There will also be a survey for managers and senior staff who might support people who are experiencing domestic abuse. 

• Review of policy documents about staff who have experienced domestic abuse. The focus will be on primary care and community healthcare settings. If your practice or healthcare setting has a policy relating to staff experiences of domestic abuse, please email it to Dr Alison Gregory and Dr Sandi Dheensa.

• 30 interviews with healthcare professionals who have experienced domestic abuse, and with managers and senior staff who might support people who are experiencing domestic abuse.

This research study has been developed from an idea presented to us by a member of the public, a healthcare professional who has experienced domestic abuse.

The research is a collaborative endeavour, and our experts-by-experience (healthcare professionals who have experienced domestic abuse) are central to the work.