The Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS) project is a domestic violence and abuse training, support and referral programme for general practices that has been evaluated in a randomised control trial.
In Middlesbrough IRIS will be a partnership programme involving Primary Care and My Sisters Place. The model entails an Advocate Educator (AE) and a Clinical Lead (CL) working with a number of GP practices within the area.
The programme outcomes and benefits include:
For patients
- Improve physical and mental health of victims/survivors of DVA by;
- Ensuring advocacy is offered to victims/survivors of DVA at the earliest opportunity
- Improving safeguarding responses to DVA, and increasing survivors’ safety
- Enabling victims/survivors to have an increased understanding of what constitutes an unhealthy relationship
For clinicians/practices
- Help GP practices deliver improved quality of care for patients experiencing DVA (who may often be repeat attenders who clinicians struggle to support)
- Ensure primary care professionals have the ability and confidence to recognise and ask about DVA.
- Bridge the gap between primary care and specialist DVA/VAWG/GBV sector
- Improve Swale’s response to COVID-19 by meeting the needs of survivors who have no other route to support
For commissioners
- Help local bodies meet expectations and guidelines to develop coordinated commissioning strategies that include integrated training and referral pathways for patients affected by domestic violence and abuse
- Reduce use of primary care resources
- Increase opportunities to share good practice and learning with other localities
Decision 2021-00270620 – Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS) (application, 200kB)