An ITV documentary highlighting the hidden realities of domestic abuse has drawn on pioneering research from the University of Bristol.
Breaking the Silence: Kate’s Story features the voices of survivors and explores how abuse can cut across all walks of life, including healthcare.
Dr Sandi Dheensa, Senior Research Fellow at Bristol, was approached by the documentary team after her NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) funded study PHRIDA examined how NHS Practitioner Health could better respond to domestic abuse.
“My PHRIDA study led to me being involved in this recent documentary,” said Dr Dheensa. “The documentary makers met with me for some consultancy input. One of the domestic abuse survivors on my PPI group was featured; Dr Seema Haider.”
Dr Haider, a GP, survivor of domestic abuse, and author of a widely read BMJ first-person article, also collaborated with Dr Dheensa on an NHS Practitioner Health podcast about abuse within the profession. The podcast, recorded over Zoom, was filmed for the documentary, resulting in Dr Dheensa making a short cameo appearance.
“Through my SPCR-funded research, I connected with Dr Seema Haider,” Dr Dheensa explained. “Seema put me in touch with the producers at True Vision TV. I met with them and shared the findings from my SPCR-funded study PRESSURE, which explored healthcare professionals’ experiences of domestic abuse, and the ongoing work of PHRIDA, which is exploring NHS Practitioner Health’s readiness to implement a domestic abuse intervention.”
The ITV programme has already sparked powerful feedback. “It was a great experience; we’ve heard so much good feedback about it from survivors and the general public,” said Dr Dheensa. “The documentary was a fantastic way to shed light on how widespread domestic abuse is, the added barriers to escape when the perpetrator is powerful, and the impact it can have on healthcare and other frontline professionals.”
The full documentary Breaking the Silence: Kate’s Story is available to watch on ITVX, and the related NHS Practitioner Health podcast can be found here.
Further Reading:
-
PRimary and community carE Staff as SURvivors of domestic violence and abusE - PRESSURE
Principal Investigator: Alison Gregory, Sandi Dheensa. SPCR Project No: 576 - Enhancing Practitioner Health’s Readiness to Identify and Respond to Domestic Violence and Abuse: a mixed-methods study to develop a theoretically grounded intervention in primary care Principal Investigator: Sandi Dheensa. SPCR Project No: 710
*We appreciate that reading and answering questions about domestic abuse can be incredibly difficult. If you have experienced domestic abuse, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and there are people ready to listen and help. Details of support options are included in the survey, including the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which you can contact on 0808 2000 247 at any time.