Dr Rosie RileyI’m thrilled to be able to introduce you to VITA and the work we’ve been doing for the past 8 years. VITA is a clinician-led organisation working to advance the health response to Modern Slavery Human Trafficking (MSHT), striving for person-centred and trauma-informed prevention, intervention and survivor-care.
I’m also a doctor, working in the Emergency Department, who regularly sees patients that are trafficked or potentially trafficked. All of whom could have been invisible, unseen. From Joe, a 52-year-old homeless male. To Travis, a 16-year-old boy, victim of county lines and child criminal exploitation. To Julie, a 38-year-old fruit picker in a rural county hospital. (All names have been changed.)
MSHT is such an unknown within the health service. Research shows that we don’t have effective training, we don’t know what red flags to look for, we don’t know about the scale, but much more importantly we don’t know what to do when someone is sitting in front of us. What do I say, what do I not say, how do I get this accompanying person out of the room without them knowing I want to speak to the patient alone?
The first five years of VITA’s journey were quite lonely ones. I wanted to provide effective and practical training that equipped front line healthcare professionals with transferable consultation skills to identify, support, and safeguard victims and survivors. Without knowing anyone else in the sector, I plodded my way through from GP surgery to A&E department, was regularly reminded by seniors and consultants how necessary this work was, “this should be mandatory”, “all staff should receive this training”, yet no funding was provided, nor extra manpower. I was close to burnout, acutely aware of the unsustainable nature of my methodology of trying to effect this change in the health sector.
However, three years ago I began meeting colleagues passionate about the same things. Who saw those same patients. Who could envision the same changes. I finally felt like I wasn’t alone. Now, with a new Training Lead and a team of trainers, facilitators and actors, VITA Training has been commissioned for hundreds of doctors across London and the South East. From August 2021 we plan to deliver VITA Training to 3,000 doctors, whilst an external education evaluation will look at the long term impact of training on clinician’s consultations skills and behaviour. With this evidence-base, we plan to expand training to nursing, midwifery and other allied healthcare professionals.
Connecting as individuals in this sector breaks that feeling of isolation. Even if you’re the only one pushing for change in your region, you can be part of a bigger community. We can share about the work we’re doing, recognise examples of best practice and learn from and be led by those with lived experience. Jane Hunt, GP and Lead Doctor within the Helen Bamber Foundation said: “I’ve worked in this field for many years and long felt the need for a platform like this to connect with others, share learning and develop gold standard practices”.
We want the VITA Network to be a platform for you. Our aim is to connect individuals and organisations, equip each other through sharing of knowledge, skills and resources, and mobilise those workforces to transform our MSHT policy and practice.