Jess Asato MP has been appointed Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Adviser in the NHS to reform the health service's response.
The appointment is part of the government's mission to halve VAWG within a decade.
In the role, Asato will be tasked with reforming culture of the NHS and ensuring women experiencing violence are identified and supported at the earliest opportunity.
She will be leading on work to integrate VAWG services into new Neighbourhood Health Centre. She will work with teams across the health system, NHS England, and officials from other government departments.
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.
Figures show that 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.
Before becoming an MP, Asato worked as the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at children’s charity Barnardo’s and also worked for domestic abuse charity SafeLives.
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."
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."
