Sir Mark Hendrick MP (Preston) convened a high-level roundtable in Lancaster, Lancashire, on 3 February 2026 to address gaps in how different services work together to help victims of domestic violence. The meeting focused on ensuring survivors do not get lost in the system when they reach out for help.
The roundtable brought together senior leaders from the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), Lancashire County Council and representatives from local support organisations including Lancashire Victim Services. Attendees discussed the three strategic pillars of early identification, cross-agency data sharing, and survivor-support sustainability — including how doctors, social workers and police can better share sensitive information to protect people at risk in their homes.
One of the main goals discussed was leveraging the Lancashire and South Cumbria Shared Care Record and related digital tools so that health staff at sites such as the Royal Lancaster Infirmary can enable faster, more coordinated notifications to other services when clinical indicators of abuse are identified. The research brief and participants make clear this is a proposed operational step and that any increased sharing would be subject to legal and technical safeguards (for example, data‑protection and safeguarding protocols).
The proposals build on local work, including Lancaster City Council’s community support services, and on recent NHS developments such as placing specialist domestic-abuse support in some hospitals. Follow-up policy recommendations and implementation plans are expected by Spring 2026.
