Nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers are more likely to experience domestic abuse than the general population.
Background
Domestic abuse is a violation of basic human rights and has huge impacts on people’s lives. It is behaviour by one person towards another, where both people are aged 16+ and the people are personally connected (partners, ex-partners, family members). It includes psychological and emotional abuse; physical and sexual abuse; violent and threatening behaviour; controlling and coercive behaviour; financial and economic abuse; and stalking. It is most common as a pattern of (often subtle) behaviours which leave survivors feeling trapped.
Domestic abuse can affect anyone. In the UK, more than 2 million people experience domestic abuse each year, with 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experiencing domestic abuse during their life. Health and social care professionals are frequently tasked with identifying, responding to and referring patients and service users who are experiencing domestic abuse; however, their own experiences of domestic abuse are often ignored.
Research shows that nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers are even more likely to experience domestic abuse than the general population and rarely feel able to seek support. 31% of healthcare staff experience domestic abuse (42% of women and 15% of men in healthcare roles), with 10% of healthcare staff experiencing domestic abuse in the past year (Dheensa, McLindon…& Gregory (2022) Healthcare Professionals’ Own Experiences of Domestic Violence and Abuse: A Meta-Analysis of Prevalence and Systematic Review of Risk Markers and Consequences. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24).
Research to create positive change
The RCN Foundation has funded Dr Alison Gregory to carry out the NAMED (Nursing And Midwifery professionals’ Experiences of Domestic abuse) study which explores the domestic abuse experiences and support needs of nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers across the UK.
The aim of the research is to create greater recognition of the issue and make tangible recommendations for action to ensure that healthcare staff experiencing domestic abuse get the support they need, at the point when they need it most. The research is a collaborative endeavour, and our experts-by-experience (healthcare professionals who have experienced domestic abuse) are central to the work.
On 20 April 2026, Alison delivered a webinar sharing the preliminary findings from the research. Watch it here.
Findings
Alison conducted a survey in 2025 which garnered 204 responses from nurses, midwives, and healthcare support workers. Of the respondents, 96% were female, and 98% of respondents said they had experienced psychological and emotional abuse from a partner, ex-partner or family member, with 37% experiencing this in the past 12 months. The survey also depicted that 75% had experienced physical violence and abuse, 74% had experienced financial and economic abuse and 56% had experienced sexual violence and abuse.
Alison noted that respondents experiences of domestic abuse were also impacting them at work - 17% of reported abusers also worked in health or social care roles, including around half who worked in the same workplace or work environment as the survivor and around a third who had a profession-based power or authority over the survivor’s role. The European Medical Journal have shared the initial findings from Alison's research which can be accessed here.
Whilst there were some positive and supportive responses from people in the workplace to those who reported domestic abuse, the survey illustrated that there are clear barriers when reporting domestic abuse in healthcare. Many reported facing shame, judgement surrounding professional relationships, blame, as well as concerns around confidentiality and anonymity.
Alison and other experts are calling for an improvement in processes and the need for for stand-alone, consistent and clear domestic abuse training in healthcare settings.
Alison is continuing her research in this field, so please check back for further updates.
Helplines and online support options
If you have experienced domestic abuse, you are not alone, and you may find it helpful to contact one of the organisations listed here for support.
The organisations listed are national helplines/services that can signpost you to more local support if you need it. If you are in immediate danger, please call the police on 999.
