Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that mental health services take account of the experiences and needs of women (a) in general and (b) who have experienced extensive abuse.

To help ensure people receive the appropriate care for their clinical needs, the Department’s Refocusing the Care Programme Approach guidance published in 2008 states that exploration of violence and abuse should be routinely undertaken in all mental health assessments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on antenatal care for uncomplicated pregnancies also advises appointments should enable women to discuss sensitive issues, including domestic violence and sexual abuse.

In March 2017 the Department published an online Domestic Violence and Abuse resource for health professionals. It advises health staff on how they can support adults and young people over 16 who are experiencing domestic abuse, and dependent children in their households, by showing how they can respond effectively to disclosures of abuse.

In 2017 the Government set up the Women’s Mental Health Taskforce, with the objective of developing proposals and delivering action collaboratively to improve women’s mental health. A core theme running through the work of the Taskforce is engaging women with experience and one of the areas it is exploring is women’s mental health in regard to violence and abuse.

In addition, the Government announced in March 2018, £2 million funding over the next two years, 2018-19 and 2019-20, to lead the way in creating a model response across health services for survivors of domestic abuse. The funding will support improved identification of domestic abuse across healthcare settings, including consideration of mental health, and will support effective referral to support services.