HEalth professionals Responding to MEn for Safety (HERMES): Mixed methods evaluation of a pilot sexual health intervention for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men experiencing domestic violence and abuse.

HERMES significantly increased the identification and reporting practices of trained sexual health staff regarding DVA among gbMSM.

• Identification and reporting practices increased from 0% to 30% among trained staff.
• 6 (5%) DVA cases were identified through the intervention.
• The evaluation used an audit of 533 patient records to assess identification and referral of gbMSM experiencing DVA.
• The before-and-after design included 20 matched pre-post questionnaires from practitioners.

None of the identified DVA patients contacted the specialist LGBT DVA support agency to which they were referred.

• HERMES provided a referral pathway to an external specialist DVA service for the LGBT community.
• Despite 6 DVA cases being identified, as far as the authors could determine, none of these patients contacted the support agency.
• The authors note this indicates a need for further exploration of help-seeking behaviour of gbMSM experiencing DVA.
• The authors raise the question of whether gbMSM experiencing DVA would prefer to receive support within a sexual health service rather than being referred externally.

HERMES increased sexual health practitioners' self-reported preparedness and confidence in enquiring about, identifying, and responding to DVA among gbMSM.

• The evaluation included semi-structured interviews with 21 sexual health practitioners.
• 20 matched pre-post questionnaires were used to measure changes in practitioner self-reported outcomes.
• HERMES increased staff awareness of DVA among gbMSM patients, which led to higher identification practices in their work.
• The intervention was implemented within a London NHS Trust sexual health service.

Sexual health services were identified as providing a unique opportunity to assess for DVA and provide support to gbMSM.

• DVA is described as a violation of human rights that damages the health and well-being of gbMSM.
• The HERMES intervention was specifically designed to improve identification and referral of gbMSM experiencing DVA in a sexual health setting.
• The intervention was piloted in a London NHS Trust sexual health service.
• The study highlights that sexual health services offer a distinct access point for reaching gbMSM who may be experiencing DVA.

Reinforcement training and clinical supervision were found to be necessary to sustain positive changes in practice over time.

• The authors note that reinforcement training and clinical supervision are needed to address potential challenges posed by staff turnover.
• Initial training should be conducted through face-to-face sessions with a combination of in-person and e-learning materials.
• Follow-up activities should include both in-person and online reinforcement.
• The mixed methods evaluation included semi-structured interviews that helped identify these implementation requirements.

The HERMES intervention used a mixed methods before-and-after evaluation design to assess feasibility and acceptability.

• The evaluation included semi-structured interviews with 21 sexual health practitioners.
• 20 matched pre-post questionnaires were completed by practitioners.
• An audit of 533 patient records was conducted to assess identification and referral of gbMSM experiencing DVA.
• The study was conducted within a London NHS Trust setting.