About this page. This page summarises a Domestic Homicide Review published in the Home Office DHR Library. The full report is available at the source link below. Victim and perpetrator names are not included in extracted summaries on this page.
Source · Domestic Homicide Review
Somerset review
CSP: SomersetPublished: June 2023Year of death: 2018Extracted: 5 recs
Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.
The review identified concerns regarding the incomplete transfer of the victim's medical history between GP practices and a lack of professional curiosity in exploring relationship status during healthcare consultations. It also highlighted the need for greater awareness and support for individuals in patterns of abusive relationships and their concerned family members.
Home Office classifications
23 tags
Source-supplied classifications used by the Home Office to catalogue this review.
Victim - mental ill health
Victim - anxiety
Victim - depression
Victim - suicidal thoughts
Victim - had been a victim of an abuser before
Children - under 18 shared parental responsibility (between victims)
Children - living with victim (including adult children)
Child - primary address same as victim
Perpetrator - case heard in court
Perpetrator - known to agencies as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - known to police as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Aggravating factors - coercive or controlling behaviour
DHR process - family contributed to dhr
DHR process - family consulted about terms of reference
DHR process - family received draft report
DHR process - health services recommendations
DHR process - idva or other domestic abuse support service recommendations
DHR process - community safety partnership recommendations
DHR process - training recommendation themes
DHR process - multi agency working recommendation themes
DHR process - record keeping recommendation themes
DHR process - awareness raising recommendation themes
DHR process - other recommendation themes
Extracted recommendations
5 recommendations pulled from the report · 3 matched to organisations in the index
Addressed to
NHS England | Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group
Discussion to be had, with the assistance of the Chair of this review, regarding medical records and how high-level medical history can be shared with a new GP practice as soon after registration has taken place to ensure the continuation of the patient’s care appropriately.
Consideration to be given to an awareness campaign focusing on the pattern of abusive relationships and how individuals can access support to end this cycle of one abusive relationship after another.
Addressed to
Somerset Integrated Domestic Abuse Service
This agency, with the support of the domestic abuse partnership, to raise awareness of their services for family members and friends whom are worried about their loved ones being in an abusive relationship. And to promote the availability of the ‘family and friends’ booklet’ at www.somersetsurvivors.org.uk
Safer Somerset Partnership to lead in supporting the Safeguarding Somerset Adult Board to disseminate the learning from this review to all agencies involved in safeguarding vulnerable people.
Safer Somerset Partnership in support with the Domestic Abuse Board to seek assurance in asking all agencies to provide evidence that they include professional curiosity in their safeguarding training. This is in particular the exploration of an individual’s relationship status when there is any disclosure of abuse; historical, recent or current.