In response to today's government announcement about a new national initiative called Steps to Safety that will involve GP surgeries being better equipped to identify and respond to domestic abuse and sexual violence, IRISi's Chief Executive, Medina Johnson, said:

As we reach the end of the #16DaysOfActivism, we finish with words from an IRIS-trained GP: "I am now convinced that violence against women and girls is a major public health problem.... as an experienced GP, the whole project has been nothing short of transformational" #16Days

On Day 15 of #16Days, we want to focus on being able to give not only practical support but belief & hope. When you get the response to domestic abuse right, you give survivors - who often will have lost their confidence and self-esteem - important hope for the future. #16Days

This #16Days we are proud to collaborate with @pegs_support to raise awareness of digital abuse and explain how we work at IRISi to address it. #16daysofactivism #16days

IRIS transforms how general practice responds to domestic abuse, turning everyday health conversations into opportunities for safety, trust and lasting change. #16days #16daysofactivism

Today we hear from survivor and campaigner Sam Beckinsale: "Not only does coercive and controlling behaviour have a direct physical impact on those experiencing it, including the children, but my new GP was the first person I trusted to tell."

Today, we hear from Laura* whose health visitor witnessed her partner's abuse when their son was a baby, but did not know how to respond. Laura tells us how she believes she would have left her abuser years before if her health visitor had specialist domestic abuse training.

90% of IRIS service users reported a reduction in seeing their GP after the programme - getting the domestic abuse response right at an early stage can help relieve the pressure on the healthcare system. #16days

Today as part of our #16Days campaign, we hear from Lucy Gaskell, who played a survivor of domestic abuse in the BBC1 programme Casualty. Lucy says: "I played a survivor of domestic abuse in the BBC One show, Casualty...

At IRISi we warmly welcome @Jess4Lowestoft into her new role as VAWG advisor for the health system & look forward to working with her. It is reassuring to have someone in this role with a background of working in domestic abuse, & are hopeful for what this means for survivors.