Why was Bloomsbury Trust established?

The Founder of Bloomsbury Trust, Professor Paul Coulthard, was aware during his Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery training in the UK that he and his colleagues were often ill equipped to ask patients about the cause of their facial injuries, or to know how best to respond especially if told that the patient was in a relationship with the perpetrator or that the perpetrator of the injury was a family member.

 

As a surgeon and scientist Paul Coulthard undertook research showing that whilst a large proportion of physical injuries affect the face, junior oral and maxillofacial surgeons, dentists and dental care professionals had not been actively supporting their patients who had presented with injuries that might have resulted from Domestic Violence (DV).

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Professor Coulthard recently led a team funded by UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) investigating the response to DVA of UK primary care dental professionals.

 

A country may have governmental or national guidelines recommending that healthcare professionals identify patients experiencing DV and refer to specialist advocacy services, but in reality, this practice is not at all routine. This may reflect the accessibility or effectiveness of DV training and or the lack of clear referral pathways and specialist support services. It may also simply reflect the fact that many healthcare providers do not feel that this is their role.

 

Bloomsbury Trust was founded to address these issues, not only in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, but also in wider Medicine and Healthcare.

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Bloomsbury Trust also works to reduce facial injury resulting from other causes. It supports healthcare providers by developing training technologies and referral systems and diagnostic support.