An idea born from a need….

Sally (not her real name) was a lady known to our local Learning Disability Services. She was outgoing, fiercely independent, funny; kind, and very popular with her peers. Sally met a man; and she moved him in to her home within a week, as he claimed he was homeless (he was not). She stopped going to her usual groups and seeing her friends; and when they tried to call her, her boyfriend always answered the call and said that she was busy.

A few months into the relationship, Sally's boyfriend threw acid over her; set fire to her, and hit her over the head with a stick. He prevented her from calling for an ambulance to maximise her injuries.

Sally died in hospital a few weeks later.

Working as Learning Disability Nurse for over 22 years I have seen an increase in incidents of domestic abuse within this service user group. I started to look for a resource to help my patients understand and recognise abuse within their relationships. From an extensive search locally and nationally I established although there are resources available, none of these were discreet and in small card form similar to the ones that are widely available but not accessible for all.

I attended the Nottinghamshire Healthcare Domestic Violence Subgroup and talked about the gap in resources and with their support I was able to start developing the card.

This card has taken 3 years to develop. The Trust’s Speech and Language Department have helped to provide relevant Somerset symbols, some of these symbols needed to be adapted in response to service user involvement. Service user feedback was vital in creating the card so we could be assured it would meet their needs. It was important to ensure the design was gender neutral. National helpline numbers have been used on this card due to the geographical areas covered by Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust. This means the card can be used as a national resource.

The Official Launch…

On 26th November 2019 as part of 16 days of activism to end gender based violence along with the Safeguarding team a launch event was held at Highbury Hospital. The event was well attended by Police, Juno Womens Aid, Equation, Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham University Hospital Trust and Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust alongside internal representation from a wide range of services within the trust. The event was started by a Service User who has a learning disability sharing her experience of her friend who was killed by her abusive partner. Feedback from the launch has been really positive. Nottinghamshire Police have asked to incorporate the card and other appropriate advice in their Police Officer Handbook and have committed to all response officers carrying the card. All agencies recognised the card was a valuable national as well as local resource.

The development of the card has been more than just a work project for me. A childhood friend Kerry with mild learning disability and significant visual impairment was killed by her partner of 25 years, signs of domestic abuse were not recognised in their relationship or discussed with her when she presented for health appointments. I visited her parents prior to the launch event to show them the card and share with them how Kerry’s experience had motivated me to produce this resource. They were invited to attend the launch event but did not feel able to. However, asked for the following message to be shared:

Sarah Atkinson – Primary Care Liaison Nurse