About ۲۰,۰۰۰ disclosures of domestic abuse are estimated to be made to maternity services in England every year, analysis has found.
The figures are likely to be an underestimate of the true scale of disclosures, according to experts, highlighting the role maternity professionals play in identifying abuse.
About ۳.۳% of maternity bookings made within NHS trusts across England involved a disclosure of current or non-recent domestic abuse.
Applying this proportion to national NHS maternity bookings activity suggests there are approximately ۲۰,۰۰۰ disclosures of domestic abuse made within maternity services in England every year.
Of the ۱۱۸ trusts contacted by the charity For Baby’s Sake, ۷۴ provided usable data, and the figures are based on a three-year average of the most recent data available.
Gill Walton, the chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said the findings “lay bare” something that midwives already know from their day-to-day practice.
“Midwives are often the only professional a pregnant woman sees regularly and alone, which makes them uniquely placed to spot the signs of domestic abuse and respond with care,” Walton said.
“But recognising a disclosure is only the first step – staff need proper, specialist training to know how to respond and services need the time and resources to follow through with support, so that no disclosure is ever a missed opportunity to protect a parent and their baby.
Experts have also called for midwives to receive adequate support and training on handling such domestic abuse disclosures, while also working long hours on busy maternity wards that can also face staff shortages.
“Midwives and other maternity staff play such a crucial role when it comes to reporting disclosures of domestic violence which are made to them. However, maternity staff also need better support so they know what the next steps are regarding what to do with these disclosures,” Veronica Oakeshott, the interim head of external affairs at Women’s Aid, said.
She added: “They’re already facing immense pressure working on busy maternity wards, so it’s essential that they receive adequate support and training on how to handle these disclosures moving forward.”
Judith Rees, the chief operating officer and designated safeguarding lead at For Baby’s Sake Trust, said: “Having worked as a midwife, health visitor and nurse across ۳۳ years within the NHS, I know how important the relationship between a maternity professional and a parent can be. Creating the right opportunity to ask about domestic abuse, and knowing how to respond when someone says ‘yes’, can be life-changing.”
She added: “Midwives need to understand the impact domestic abuse can have on a parent and their baby, be able to recognise risk and respond safely, and know where to go for specialist support. Pregnancy and the early postnatal period give us a critical window to intervene, and when we get that response right, we have an opportunity to improve outcomes for parents and babies.”
Kate Brintworth, the chief midwifery officer for NHS England, said: “All staff working in NHS maternity and neonatal services are committed to ensuring that any disclosure of domestic abuse will be met with compassion, sensitivity and clear options for support. Midwives receive mandatory safeguarding training, alongside specialist training on how to ask sensitive questions about abuse, and can refer women to specialist domestic abuse services for support with issues such as housing and legal advice where needed.”
