Domestic abuse experienced by colleagues: how to help

In the article my colleagues and I wrote earlier this year (Gregory et al, 2025), we presented the emerging evidence around the high rates of domestic abuse experienced by people working in healthcare roles (Dheensa et al, 2023). In particular, we mentioned UK research that suggests that nurses are three times more likely to have experienced domestic abuse in the past year (Cavell Nurses' Trust, 2016), and that the lifetime prevalence may be as high as 82% for midwives and maternity support workers (Royal College of Midwives, 2018). We described some of the barriers to help-seeking that nurses face, and some of the ways in which workplaces can respond – for example, by having domestic abuse policies for employees. But beyond this, and on a more personal level, what can each of us do when we are concerned for a colleague?