New adviser to reform NHS response to violence vs women and girls

• Jess Asato MP appointed as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care
• She will advise on how alcohol is linked to VAWG, embedding support for victims and survivors in neighbourhood health services, and improving local commissioning of VAWG services
• The appointment will help drive forward the government's mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade

Women and children will be better supported as a former advisor on domestic abuse and child protection will steer a major overhaul of the NHS response to violence against women and girls (VAWG).

The government's newly appointed VAWG Adviser, Jess Asato MP, has been tasked with reforming culture of the NHS and ensuring women experiencing violence are identified and supported at the earliest opportunity.

Ms Asato will also lead on work to integrate VAWG services into new Neighbourhood Health Centres – “one stop shops' bringing together GPs, nurses, pharmacists and other services under one roof.

The work forms part of the Government's Plan for Change commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade through its safer streets mission.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

Violence against women and girls is a stain on our society and tackling it is everyone's problem – including the NHS.

We think of these as hidden crimes, but we know that in most interactions with the NHS and other institutions the signs are there if we have the training, tools and the will to look.

Jess Asato will use her expertise in protecting women and children from vile abuse to ensure victims across the NHS are spotted sooner and given the help they need.

Ms Asato will focus on three priorities over the next six months; how to reduce the impact of alcohol on violence against women and girls, embedding VAWG support into neighbourhood health services, so women and girls can be easily connected to specialist support and improving how violence against women and girls services are commissioned, to ensure the right help is in the right place.

The appointment comes as around 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse, 1.4 million experienced stalking and 900,000 experienced sexual assault, including attempted offences, in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025.

VAWG Adviser Jess Asato MP said:

I am honoured to have been asked to advise the Health Secretary on how the Department of Health and Social Care can contribute to our Government's mission of halving violence against women and girls.

VAWG isn't just a criminal justice issue, it's a public health emergency. When we strengthen healthcare systems to identify abuse early, support survivors, challenge perpetrators and address the trauma that fuels cycles of harm, we make communities safer. Ensuring health is not an add-on to prevention; it is a core part of the solution.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said:

Violence against women and girls is not inevitable – it is preventable. And to achieve our mission of halving it within a decade, we need a whole-society approach.

The appointment of Jess Asato as an adviser is an important step towards ensuring the NHS can spot abuse sooner and connect victims to the support they need.

Jess Asato has spent her career tackling VAWG and safeguarding children. Before being elected as an MP, she worked as the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at children's charity Barnardo's and also worked for domestic abuse charity SafeLives, giving her deep insight into supporting survivors and driving systemic change.  Throughout her career, she has championed evidence-based approaches to protecting vulnerable children and women, combining frontline understanding with policy expertise to create lasting impact.

She will work with teams across the health system, NHS England, and officials from other government departments. Her role recognises that the health system has an important part to play in providing treatment for victims and open access support through NHS services.

This appointment demonstrates the government's determination to address the factors which contribute to VAWG, intervene early to prevent escalation, and support victims. It complements wider action to overhaul the policing response to domestic abuse and introduce stronger measures to tackle stalking and spiking.

This appointment follows the rollout of all NHS staff needing to complete mandatory safeguarding training which includes domestic abuse. In February, this government launched Raneem's Law, embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms in the first five police forces to improve the police response to domestic abuse and last week, we announced more than 1,000 victims have been protected through first-of-its-kind Domestic Abuse Protection Orders since their roll out last year.  Alongside this, we are also providing £20 million in funding this financial year for a range of specialist organisations who provide vital support to victims whose vital work will help us achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls in the next decade.

This news comes ahead of the publication of the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy which will set out how we will tackle VAWG across government.