FearLess recommissioned to provide vital domestic abuse support

WILTSHIRE Council and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner have jointly recommissioned FearLess to provide domestic abuse support throughout the county.

FearLess, formerly known as the Splitz Support Service, has been working across Wiltshire for more than 30 years and following a recommissioning process they will be continuing this work through its new domestic abuse service.

The new service will build on and expand the existing offer, delivering holistic support to victims, survivors, their children and those who behave in a harmful way.

Research indicates that up to 80% of perpetrators were victims of abusive behaviour as children, with FearLess working proactively to break the cycle of abuse. The new provision includes safe accommodation services delivered through its partners GreenSquare Accord, high risk support services, group-work, and recovery services.

FearLess will also be developing its whole family approach to addressing domestic abuse, through a new Children and Families Team.

In addition, the service will provide specialist services to victims of stalking through an Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworker (ISAC).

The service will support victims through the criminal justice system, with the introduction of a specialist Court Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA).

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for Public Health, said: “We have enjoyed a very positive working relationship with FearLess over the years and we’re pleased to be continuing this partnership and developing it even further so that together we can support as many people as possible.

“One of our most important responsibilities is that Wiltshire is a place where we are safe. So, the work we do with FearLess is vital and together we’ll look for innovative ways to ensure that the people who need it get the support quickly.”

Wiltshire Police and Crime

Credit: Tiago Bandeira/Unsplash

FearLess will offer new support services

Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, said: “It’s absolutely crucial that the support networks are in place for victims and our strategy has been to increase the availability and accessibility of these services across the county, especially for those who may feel uncertain or unable to make contact with our criminal justice partners.

“FearLess has proved they can deliver these programmes and through our funding alongside Wiltshire Council, we hope that they can continue to make Wiltshire a safer place to live.”

Director of service at FearLess, Emily Denne, said:

“FearLess is incredibly proud of our Wiltshire service, which recently achieved its Leading Lights accreditation, evidencing the exceptional service it delivers to victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

“We look forward to developing and expanding it over the coming years.”

More information about the services that FearLess provide can be found at https://www. fear-less.org.uk/

Salisbury GP interview on junior doctor strikes

As the junior doctor’s strikes continue, Tristan Ovington caught up with a GP in Salisbury to get their view on how the strikes are impacting healthcare provision for Salisbury residents.

THE GP, who asked to remain anonymous, began by stating that the strikes seem to be about pay, but that they are also about conditions to a lesser degree.

“Most of the headlines and rhetoric have been around the demand for a 35% pay rise,” they said. “I think the logic is that if doctors are paid less than they feel they are worth, fewer people will choose to enter or remain in the profession, leaving the NHS short of doctors and even less able to provide good, safe care than we should. It’s worth noting that doctors in many other high income countries are relatively higher earning than UK doctors.

“It was close to a unanimous decision to strike, although there are junior doctors who chose not to participate.

“The other side of the discourse hasn’t had much public airtime and I think non-striking doctors have felt unable to speak freely for fear of how it will be received by the medical community.

“I feel that the timing of the recent strikes has compromised patient safety. Four days of strikes immediately after a four-day bank holiday weekend has resulted in 11 consecutive days of skeleton staffing for hospitals. If I was still a junior doctor I would have found it difficult to support this particular strike action in view of the timing.

“Had it had less of a significant impact on patient care I may have felt more in support of the strike.

“The 35% pay rise is highly unrealistic, and I think inappropriate given the dire financial challenges many other individuals in the UK face. Most junior doctors are still very much better off than the average UK adult.

“I wonder if they would accept a reintroduction of other benefits which junior doctors have previously enjoyed, such as free hospital accommodation or fully reimbursed travel expenses?

“If the desired outcome for junior doctors is not reached, it’s possible that many may leave the profession or go abroad to continue working as doctors in better conditions, so I hope a conclusion can be reached which everyone is satisfied with.”