Women who have been strangled and beaten are living with untreated concussion

Newcastle Herald

By Damon Cronshaw

June 10 2025 – 4:30am

Women who get concussion from being strangled and beaten are missing out on medical care, domestic violence experts say.

Those affected were often too afraid, traumatised and poor to access healthcare.

To tackle what it described as a “critical gap” in the health system, the Hunter’s Primary Health Network (PHN) has developed the “Hope in Healing model”.

Shannon Richardson, the PHN’s safe and healthy families manager, said it was unacceptable that victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence weren’t being treated.

“The primary care system is becoming more privatised. Women and children are being locked out of that because they can’t afford to see a GP,” Ms Richardson said.

“They need a dedicated clinic that understands all the impacts and provides more than a 15-minute appointment.”

Sue Pollock said Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Services had for years been “supporting women with injuries to their head, face or neck”.

Some had been almost fatally strangled.

“Their brains are scrambled from head injuries and they can’t think. We see the ramifications of this in the trajectory of their lives and the injustice of that,” Ms Pollock said.

It was difficult for them to get medical help.

“They can be homeless, too afraid for their lives and trying to keep themselves and their children safe,” she said.

Many don’t seek medical treatment due to trauma and other priorities such as food and shelter.

“When women present with us, it’s quite common for them to struggle to communicate,” she said.

It’s suspected this is often partly due to concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury, from an assault such as being hit or strangled.

Ms Richardson noted that concussion clinics had emerged for sportspeople.

“It’s great we’re getting more awareness about the impacts of concussion,” she said.

“Arguably, we feel there are many more women and children walking around with untreated concussion than people experiencing those injuries on the field.”

The PHN worked with affiliates to create a model of care to fill the gap.

A pilot program has been costed at $500,000 a year.

“This is an unfunded model. We’re seeking support from government or philanthropy,” Ms Richardson said.

“We’d like to trial two clinics per week in the Newcastle region. Domestic violence services could refer directly to that,” she said.

The clinic would have a GP, occupational therapist, social worker and consultant neurologist.

“We’ll be able to sit with these people and provide them with the medical and social care they need to heal and recover,” she said.

The plan is backed by a survey of 85 domestic violence victims (75 women, six young people and four children).

This was done through the Port Stephens service, which helps those affected by domestic violence.

The service’s manager, Ms Pollock, said 82 per cent of those surveyed did not seek any form of medical treatment.

None of the children and young people were treated.

“The ones who did receive treatment mostly went in an ambulance to hospital,” Ms Pollock said.

“We feel this has been invisible for years to our domestic violence services.”

  • Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732
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