Healthcare and forensic medical services standards
Document Type
Standards
Summary
Healthcare and forensic medical services for people who have experienced rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse standards.
We have developed standards to support healthcare and forensic medical services for people who have experienced rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse in Scotland. These standards are a review of the 2017 standards of the same name. The standards have been updated to reflect changes in legislative, policy and service delivery. A summary of the key changes can be found in the key changes document below.
These standards draw on current evidence, best practice and stakeholder recommendations.
These standards should be read alongside the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Healthcare and forensic medical services: indicators and the Bairns’ Hoose standards.
If you have been affected by the issues described in these standards, such as rape, sexual assault and child sexual abuse, you can find out how to get support on the NHS Inform website.
Overview of standards
Standard 1: Trauma informed care and shared decision making
People can access information and services that are right for them and are supported to participate in decisions about their care.
Standard 2: Collaborative leadership and governance
NHS boards demonstrate collaborative leadership and effective governance of services for people who have experienced rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse.
Standard 3: Staff training, education and support
Staff have the training, education and skills to deliver care and support for people who have experienced rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse.
Standard 4: Supporting and responding to initial disclosure: adults
Healthcare professionals respond to initial disclosure in a trauma informed way and in line with national clinical pathways.
Standard 5: Access to coordinated healthcare and support: adults
Adults are supported to access coordinated healthcare and support at any time following disclosure.
Standard 6: Forensic medical examination: adults
NHS boards ensure forensic medical examinations are high-quality, person-centred and trauma informed.
Standard 7: Healthcare, medical examinations and support for children and young people
NHS boards ensure person-centred and trauma informed care is delivered in the best interests of the child or young person.
Under the Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Act 2021, Healthcare Improvement Scotland:
(a) (has) a duty to provide information to the public about the availability and quality of services provided under the health service or under the 2021 Act. for more information visit Analytics and intelligence for people who access SARCS on the Public Health Scotland website.
(e) when asked to do so, a duty to provide such advice to… (i) persons who provide, seek to provide or may provide services under the health service or under the 2021 Act. For more information visit Turn to SARCS on the NHS Inform website.
Healthcare and forensic medical services standards self-assessment tool
To support the standards, we have published a self-assessment tool. This tool supports organisations who manage and implement gender identity healthcare services to:
- measure services against the standards
create an improvement plan.
The tool is available on the Right Decisions Service website.
If you have any queries, contact the Standards team at his.standardsandindicators@nhs.scot.