Top honour for Wigan hospital trust's domestic abuse team

At a glittering ceremony held at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London, nurses and organisations from across the profession were honoured across 23 categories in a night of recognition dedicated to celebrating exceptional achievement.

Following a rigorous judging process, the team, which is based at Wigan Infirmary, won the patient safety improvement class for work on creating and implementation of the Hospital Independent Domestic Violence Advisor role at the Trust: the first fully NHS-funded role in the country.

Linda Salt, Head of Safeguarding at the Trust, said: “The team are delighted that the hospital IDVA service has been recognised for the help and support they give to people who suffer from domestic abuse.

“We’re very proud that the whole safeguarding service team is supported by everyone at the Trust, from front line staff up to executives.”

It is the second year in a row that WWL has won at the Nursing Times Awards.

Last year, Vicki Stevenson-Hornby, a Macmillan HPB clinical nurse specialist, took home a trophy after being named as the winner in the Cancer Nursing category for her nurse-led accelerated jaundice pathway project.

Full of praise, the judges said: “At its core, this inspiring service addresses unmet needs in an underserved population. The team gave the judging panel evidence of practicing safely in an unpredictable and emotionally challenging field.”

Wigan has high incidence of domestic abuse, considerably higher than the national average.

Together with Wigan Council, the trust conducted an independent domestic violence adviser service pilot scheme, developing an adapted model of working tailored to the hospital environment to offer swift intervention and support.

Findings of the pilot suggested that many patients presenting to the hospital who had experienced domestic abuse were ready to disclose and receive a service. In the first nine months, 300 patients accessed the service, of which 16 per cent were male.

To date, none of those who accessed the service have re-presented to the hospital.