I qualified as a GP at the end of March 2020 and was released into the COVID-19 pandemic. A few weeks before I finished I was scared, worrying about what I would face with sick patients in potentially huge numbers requiring life-saving care. But now 3 weeks into the job the thing that keeps me awake at night are the vulnerable patients at risk of domestic abuse confined in their homes.
You can say that domestic abuse is the responsibility of the state, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the domestic abuse services, and charities. But, primary care is the one common ground that these patients cross most frequently. In ‘normal’ times we might see on average several patients at risk of domestic abuse each week, but now how many are we seeing without realising?
It is easy …