New County Durham and Darlington domestic abuse service launches
It aims to expand safeguarding opportunities and it is hoped it would reduce further attendance at A&E in the future, Allen said.It would also link people to longer-term community-based support.The IDVA would work closely with victims and survivors and provide an initial assessment to develop individual support plans, which would have to receive the consent of the victim before being implemented.Any safeguarding issues would also be identified and action would be taken.
As part of the new plan offered by Harbour Support Services, the PCC aims to get data about the number and type of admissions to better understand the victim experience and to develop further effective responses.Allen said: "Undoubtedly, offering professional, non-judgmental support and safety planning early saves lives and I hope that through the improvements we are making to service provision we will encourage more victims to come forward and seek help."
The IDVA would travel between sites depending on need. They would also provide ongoing advice and support to frontline health professionals.
Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
I tried Waterpik's ultra plus WP-150 water flosser – here's what happened
There's always room for improvement with our teeth. The results of the last Adult Dental Health Survey revealed that just 77 per cent of adults brushed their teeth twice a day. Even then, the high level of plaque seen in this group suggests that brushing alone is not good enough. This is where water flossers come in. Flossing the back of your mouth with string floss can be tricky if you have mobility issues. Cleaning between dental work for those with braces or fixed retainers can prove impossible. Thankfully, the electrical advantage of a water flosser is that pressurised water flushes out trapped food and debris from even the most hard-to-reach spots. There are plenty of water flossers in 2025, but Waterpik's WP-150 water flosser (£129.99, promises to remove up to 99.9 per cent of plaque from treated areas while being 50 per cent more effective at reducing gingivitis, a mild form of gum disease, compared to regular string floss. Those are big claims, so I wanted to give Waterpik's ultra plus a whirl to see how our teeth fared with this techy upgrade to the good old string floss. I got hands-on with the popular device to see how it compares to competitor models and regular flossing. How I tested With six different attachments to test, I used the flosser multiple times to gauge its effectiveness in each mode. Working my way around all of my teeth, I put the flosser through its paces at different times of the day to assess its effectiveness after sleeping and eating. While testing, I recorded the following information: Ease of use: With lots of items included in the box, from the water tank to the storage caddy, I recorded how simple it was to set-up the flosser, plus how easy it was to charge (does it need to be near a plug 100 per cent of the time?) and whether flossing itself took some getting to grips with. Design: Bathrooms aren't often the most spacious rooms in a home, so I weighed up how practical the design was for an average home. I wanted to see if it was easy to store, and I also judged the quality and ergonomics of the attachments, storage holders, flosser grip and setting switches. Results: After eating and drinking (including coffee and wine), I recorded how well the flosser's various attachments tackled our daily and weekly plaque build-up, and noted any mishaps or instances of sensitivity. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews IndyBest is The Independent's shopping section, where experts examine a wide range of products for unbiased reviews. Qin Xie has tested several products for IndyBest, from pillow protectors and scalp massagers to the BlueAir dustmagnet 5240i air purifier.
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Jersey's 'dangerous' food labels puts residents and tourists at risk
Dangerously unclear food allergy labels are putting residents and tourists at serious risk, campaigners say. Deputy Steve Luce, the Environment Minister, admits Jersey is "way behind" on labelling, as the government launches a 10-week public consultation for islanders to give their opinion on a proposed new Food labelling is currently not mandatory, but the government plans to introduce a licensing scheme for food businesses and update food hygiene Richardson, from the Jersey Food Allergy Group, said the island had been waiting for these changes for "more than ten years". The government said it hoped the plans, if approved, could be rolled out next said: "We've been waiting for it for a long time, actual food businesses have been well prepared for this - they know it's coming and they welcome it. "The public won't see very much change, they will be buying food in shops, it will be very clearly labelled and they will have the assurance that in the food preparation kitchen that the chefs and those people preparing that food have been doing it correctly." Life or death Ms Richardson, who has a son with a dairy allergy, said the legislation was essential to protect said: "Jersey is significantly behind most of the rest of the world and to everyone that visits the island they often think that we are the same as the UK."That is where we have found that there are such differences that it is dangerous for a lot of people with allergies and for anyone who wants to know what is in their food."For people that suffer with an allergy it is a matter of life or death in some cases, severe allergic reactions can lead to anaphylaxis which then can lead to death - it may seem that people are being a little bit picky or fussy about what is in their food but for some people it is really very serious." Ms Richardson said the changes needed to come in soon to make people feel safer and to allow for more informed choices. She said: "We've got to think about balance and we don't want to delay the legislation by making minor exemptions to things. "We would encourage anyone that is serving food, be it charity events or temporary markets, to have allergy labelling, but we wouldn't want that to stop this legislation going through."She added that the sooner everyone can adopt clear labelling the better for the whole island."People [who] are suffering from intolerances and allergies will be able to feel just that little bit safer when they eat out," she added.
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Sussex Beacon hospice to become 'first for LGBTQ+ people in UK'
A hospice in East Sussex has announced it is to become the UK's first dedicated hospice for the LGBTQ+ move by Sussex Beacon, based in Brighton, has been dubbed a "landmark development" by NHS Sussex, aiming to combine inclusive care with expertise in specialist HIV charity has been offering palliative and end-of-life care to people with HIV for more than 30 years, recently expanding its services to the wider LGBTQ+ community, regardless of HIV executive Rachel Brett told BBC Radio Sussex: "The community built the Beacon back in the 80s, and now we're giving it back – we're very excited." The Sussex Beacon said that decades of experience supporting those with HIV following the Aids pandemic of the 1980s and 90s had given them insight into tackling the impacts of stigma and health inequalities.A 2018 report published by Stonewall – an LGBTQ+ charity – which found that one in seven LGBTQ+ people (14%) avoided seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination from UK's I Just Want To Be Me report from 2023 also revealed that the LGBTQ+ community often found healthcare unwelcoming after coming up against insensitivities or misconceptions."The Sussex Beacon is uniquely placed to change that," Ms Brett added."We will not only provide inclusive palliative care, but also act as a national resource, helping other hospices improve their services for LGBTQ+ patients." 'Care is invaluable' The initiative is being supported by the Amy Dissanayake, deputy chief medical officer, said NHS Sussex were delighted to be working with the hospice."In addition to the hospice care, their experience in providing specialist community care for people living with HIV is invaluable and fully supports our ambition to bring care out of hospitals where possible and into communities," she Brett said charitable funding remained important for the hospice's long-term follows the closure of its 10-bed inpatient care unit to focus on community care earlier this Ward, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said: "The Beacon has a proud place in the heart of the local community."I've spoken with so many service users who said they owed everything to the Beacon, so I'm delighted that this new service model means it can continue to provide excellent HIV services and hospice care across Sussex."
