Tell your GP, get help

People experiencing domestic or sexual abuse will be able to approach any staff member at a participating GP practice and, with their consent, receive a direct referral to an independent specialist. The first phase covers 12 integrated care boards in England and has up to £34,417,204 of funding over three years.

The service is not limited to physical violence. People can ask for help with threats, humiliation, sexual coercion, or control over money, phones, movement or contact with family and friends. The disclosure can concern current abuse or something that happened in the past.

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How to ask for a referral

1. Ask reception whether your GP practice is taking part. Rollout is phased, so the new service may not yet be operating in every practice within a selected area.
2. Ask for a confidential conversation without a partner or relative present. You can speak to a doctor, nurse, receptionist or another member of the practice team.
3. Say that you need help because of domestic or sexual abuse. You do not need to report to the police first in order to be referred.
4. If you consent, the practice can refer you to an independent specialist. They can act as a single point of contact, assess risk, develop a safety plan and arrange access to suitable services.

You do not have to explain everything in the first conversation. If speaking is difficult, you can prepare a short sentence on paper or in a phone note and show it to a staff member. Only use a phone or email when it is safe and the device is not being monitored by someone else.

Where the programme is starting

The first phase covers these integrated care boards:

• Cheshire and Merseyside;
• North East and North Cumbria;
• Essex;
• Norfolk and Suffolk;
• Black Country;
• Birmingham and Solihull;
• Coventry and Warwickshire;
• Herefordshire and Worcestershire;
• Surrey and Sussex;
• Kent and Medway;
• Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire;
• Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Coventry and Warwickshire has a joint funding award with Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Their combined three-year allocation is the largest, at £6,672,213. Across phase one, the allocations are £8,146,771 in 2026–27, £13,042,264 in 2027–28 and £13,228,169 in 2028–29.

The department is separately investing another £15 million over three years across all integrated care boards in England to increase specialist support capacity. The government's goal is national provision in England by 2029, but there is not yet one confirmed launch date for every practice.

If your practice is not taking part

In England, the free and confidential National Domestic Abuse Helpline is open 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Survivors, relatives and friends can call. The official government guidance also lists separate contacts for men and for people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Call 999 if there is immediate danger. If calling from a mobile and you cannot speak, follow the operator's questions and, when prompted, press 55 to have the call transferred to the police. Pressing 55 alone does not allow police to track your location.

What employers should know

An employer should not try to investigate the situation. Practical support can include providing a safe opportunity to talk, protecting confidentiality, offering flexible working arrangements and signposting professional support. Official guidance lists a free advice line for employers on 020 3879 3695, Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.

Geographical scope: the new referral pathway applies only to participating GP practices within the 12 integrated care boards in England. Emergency and specialist helplines operate across the UK, but contacts differ by nation. Information checked against official sources on 26 October 2026.