NHS Essex gets £4,454,124 to 2029 so GP staff can spot domestic abuse and sexual violence and refer patients to specialist support workers, if they agree.
Patients at GP practices in Essex will be able to tell staff about domestic abuse or sexual violence and be referred straight to a specialist support worker, under a national programme that is bringing £4,454,124 to the county over the next three years.
NHS Essex, the integrated care board that plans NHS services for Brentwood and the rest of Essex, Southend and Thurrock, announced on 28 October that it is one of the first areas in England to receive money from Steps to Safety, a Department of Health and Social Care programme. The money will pay for a provider to run the service, training for GP staff and the hiring of specialist support workers.
How it will work
At participating practices, patients will be able to talk to staff about what has happened to them. With the patient’s agreement, they can then be referred into a specialist support service.
Specialist support workers will each cover a group of GP practices. They will train staff to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and sexual violence, and connect the people referred to them with local specialist services. NHS Essex says each worker will act as a single point of contact for the patient and argue for their needs when they are dealing with those services.
The government’s description of the programme says a patient can raise it with “any member of staff” in a participating practice, and lists the specialist workers’ other jobs as developing safety plans, carrying out risk assessments and arranging access to specialist services.
NHS Essex says GP staff may meet people who are isolated and may struggle to reach out to services that could help them.
What NHS Essex says
William Guy, Director of Commissioning (Primary Care and Neighbourhood) at NHS Essex, said: “Securing funding through the Steps to Safety programme will help us strengthen support for people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence across Southend, Essex and Thurrock.
“We know that domestic abuse and sexual violence affect people of all ages and backgrounds, causing physical injuries and trauma impacting their mental health. These people may also feel they are alone with no one they can turn to for help.
“GPs, nurses and the wider general practice team build trusted relationships with patients over many years and may be among the first to see the signs of domestic abuse. Steps to Safety will help GP staff build their confidence in recognising the signs and providing support, so people can get the right help when they need it.”
The money, year by year
The funding starts in the 2026-27 financial year and runs into 2028-29. NHS Essex gives the split as:
- 2026-27: £949,525
- 2027-28: £1,735,075
- 2028-29: £1,769,524
The total is the same in the government’s own allocation table, which lists the second and third years the other way round (£1,769,524 then £1,735,075).
Essex is one of 12 integrated care boards chosen in September 2026 for the first phase, which shares up to £34.4 million over three years. Of the 11 allocations in that table (two boards made a joint bid), only the joint Coventry and Warwickshire with Herefordshire and Worcestershire bid (£6.67m) and North East and North Cumbria (£4.68m) get more than Essex. Kent and Medway gets £2.2m.
The department began rolling the service out in April 2026 and aims to have it across England by 2029. It set out the plan in Freedom from violence and abuse: a cross-government strategy, published in December 2025. Separately, it is spending £15 million across all integrated care boards over three years on local specialist services for victims and survivors.
What it means for you
The service is not running yet, and NHS Essex has not said which Brentwood practices will take part. It says it will work with GP practices, specialist domestic abuse and sexual violence services and local partners over the coming months, and that timescales and next steps will be confirmed as local plans are developed. We will report the practices and the start date when NHS Essex publishes them.
Help does not have to wait for the programme. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, answers on 0808 2000 247. In an emergency, call 999.
You can read more about how NHS Essex is run on the NHS Essex website.
Have your say