Victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse in the North East and North Cumbria are to benefit from almost £4.7mn allocated by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for a new referral service delivered through GPs.
The first phase of the “Steps to Safety” initiative introduced in 12 areas across England, including the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Cate Board (ICB), is now being rolled out.
Steps to Safety, said the DHSC, will ensure general practice staff are trained to spot the signs of domestic abuse and sexual violence, so they can connect victims and survivors directly to local specialist support services.
What it means for patients
Patients will be able to talk to any member of staff in a participating GP practice about their current or previous experience of domestic abuse or sexual violence. Their disclosures will be dealt with sensitively and they will be referred into the specialist support service, if they agree. The specialist support worker will be a single point of contact for them and will advocate for their needs when accessing specialist services.
DHSC is also investing £15mn across all ICBs over three years to boost local specialist support services for victims and survivors.
What it means for general practices
Each group of practices will have access to independent domestic abuse and sexual violence (DASV) specialist workers funded through the programme. They will work alongside them, receive referrals and provide specialist support. The specialist workers will train GP practice staff, provide ongoing support, receive referrals, advocate for patients, develop safety plans, conduct risk assessments and arrange access to specialist services.
What it means for integrated care boards
Participating ICBs will receive targeted funding to commission independent DASV providers in their area to deliver the programme, cover the training costs, secure DASV specialist support workers to support GP practice staff and provide tailored support to victims and survivors.
DHSC and NHS England are developing national support to help ICBs, specialist providers and general practices deliver Steps to Safety consistently.
This will include training and resources, opportunities to share learning,
targeted help for ICBs and specialist providers as they set up and deliver their services.
Phase 1 of Steps to Safety
In September 2026, 12 ICBs were selected for the first phase of Steps to Safety. They will receive a total of up to £34.4 million over 3 years to commission or expand local specialist services and strengthen referral pathways between general practices and domestic abuse and sexual violence support.
The North East and North Cumbria ICB will receive £856,446 in 2026/27, £1,900,756 in 2027/28 and £1,927,358 in 2028/29.
*This report is based on a press release from the Department for Health and Social Care.
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