Most domestic violence victims are `let down` by health service

Most abused women are being ‘let down’ by the health service,
according to the Royal College of Nursing in Scotland.

According to the RCN “nurses are not trained in dealing with
domestic violence” and fail to pick up, and respond to the many
abused women who seek hospital treatment. The RCN quotes statistics
from the United States which show that almost 35 per cent of women
attending accident and emergency units are there because of
domestic violence yet in only 5 per cent cases is the cause of the
injuries identified.

The organisation calculates that every year, 8,000 nurses in
Scotland come in to contact with patients who have experienced
domestic violence yet they are ill equipped to respond. Last week,
the RCN launched its own guidelines on domestic abuse to members,
and is calling on the NHS to provide extensive training to
nurses.