Victims of domestic and family violence will now have easier access to NSW public hospitals for the treatment of their injuries, as part of the NSW Government\u2019s COVID-19 response.
\nThe NSW Government has changed its NSW hospital fees policy so that Medicare ineligible victims of domestic and family violence (DFV) \u2013 like those on Temporary Protection Visas \u2013 will no longer be required to report the crime to police in order to access public hospitals at no cost.
\nAttorney General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Mark Speakman said the change follows an Australian Institute of Criminology report that found DFV had risen during the pandemic, but a large proportion of victims were not reporting to police.
\n\u201cMany women will choose to contact the Domestic Violence Line, specialist frontline domestic violence services or medical care before they\u2019re ready to report to police for a range of reasons, including fear of repercussions,\u201d Mr Speakman said.
\n\u201cThose suffering domestic violence need every lifeline we can give them, especially now when COVID-19 measures are potentially forcing victim-survivors into isolation in the same household as the perpetrators of their abuse.
\n\u201cThis reform is focused on removing obstacles for especially vulnerable victim-survivors to ensure immediate medical support is available and accessible when it\u2019s needed most.\u201d
\nHealth Minister Brad Hazzard said it is vital that people facing violence at home feel safe to seek support and care in our public hospitals, without fear of reprisal from perpetrators.
\n\u201cA tragic, often hidden cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is the rise in violence on the homefront and fewer opportunities to reach out for support,\u201d Mr Hazzard said.
\n\u201cThe NSW Government is helping to clear the way for victims of domestic and family violence to receive essential medical treatment and care in our hospitals, whenever they need it.\u201d
\nIf you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, when it\u2019s safe to do so, you can contact the following supports:<\/p>\n
If you are in immediate danger or in an emergency, always contact Triple Zero (000). Victims of domestic and family violence will now have easier access to NSW public hospitals for the treatment of their injuries, as part of the NSW Government\u2019s COVID-19 response. The NSW Government has changed its NSW hospital fees policy so that Medicare ineligible victims of domestic and family violence (DFV) \u2013 like those on Temporary … Continue reading “EASIER HOSPITAL ACCESS FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7698\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nFor more information on services and supports, visit the NSW Government\u2019s \u2018Speak Out\u2019 webpage:\u00a0https:\/\/www.speakout.dcj.nsw.gov.au\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"