Equally Safe delivery plan: progress report

Deliverable 10

10. We will support the health sector to identify and respond to victims and survivors of VAWG

Delivery plan actions to help meet this deliverable:

10.1 We will continue to raise public awareness of NHS Sexual Assault Response Coordination Services (SARCS).

10.2 We will support health board efforts to promote updated guidance for healthcare professionals on how to respond to a disclosure of rape or sexual assault.

10.3 We will improve the collation of equalities monitoring data to support the delivery of person-centred care within SARCS.

10.4 We will deliver a range of national training and learning opportunities to develop the role of nurse sexual offence examiners in Scotland.

10.5 We will work with organisations supporting those in suicidal crisis to ensure that the needs of women and girls experiencing VAWG are recognised.

10.6 We will consider the inclusion of VAWG in the NHS Public Protection Accountability and Governance Framework.

10.7 We will refresh the VAWG e-learning module for healthcare professionals, establishing links to Public Protection resources.

10.8 We will explore options to improve the pathway between Emergency Departments and Police Scotland for people who present where spiking is suspected.

Overview

To support healthcare professionals responding to disclosures of rape or sexual assault, an e-module was launched on Turas, the digital platform developed by NHS Education for Scotland for health and social care practitioners, in April 2025. The e-module was highlighted to Health Boards through a letter from the Chief Medical Officer. This builds on updated guidance hosted on Right Decisions, an evidence-based decision support tool for healthcare professionals and patients, which was accessed more than 12,400 times by over 4,200 users since being launched in summer 2024.

In 2025, national partners strengthened understanding of the links between VAWG, trauma and suicidal crisis. An online event held in February 2025 brought together more than 600 professionals to explore the links between trauma, self-harm and suicide, particularly in the context of women’s experiences of abuse. Suicide Prevention Scotland also launched an online portal to improve access to support, linked to the NHS24 Mental Health Hub and promoted across VAWG services.

Scottish Government VAWG and Public Protection teams are working with NHS Board colleagues to explore adding VAWG to the NHS Public Protection Accountability and Assurance Framework. Early discussions have been positive. The next step being considered is for Scottish Nurse Leads to survey all NHS Boards on their current structures and their progress in implementing CEL 41 (2008) ,a letter issued by a NHS Scotland Chief Executive relating to a Gender Based Violence action plan. The survey findings will help the Scottish Government assess consistency across Boards and determine what further action is needed to embed VAWG within the Accountability and Assurance Framework.

Progress also continues in developing the role of nurse sexual offence examiners. The Scottish Government’s SARCS Policy Unit provides funding to places on Queen Margaret University’s Advanced Forensic Practice postgraduate programme and Forensic Skills Labs, with Scotland on track to have 35 nurses qualified at postgraduate certificate level by July 2026.

Public awareness of SARCS also continues to be supported through the “Turn to SARCS” campaign which was relaunched in September 2025 and ran until 22 October 2025. During 2025, social media activity also aligned with key dates such as 16 Days of Activism campaign, Refreshers Week and Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week. The campaign has run annually since April 2022, with a related case study provided below.

Case study: Turn to SARCS campaign

“At my appointment, I met with Dawn. She immediately made me feel safe, and supported me emotionally throughout. I felt much less alone, and all my feelings were validated.”

These are the words of one woman who accessed NHS Scotland’s Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS) - a free, 24/7 service that has been transforming the support available to survivors of rape and sexual assault since April 2022.

In the aftermath of sexual assault, people can struggle with feelings of isolation and confusion, unsure of where to turn. Many aren’t ready to go to the police. SARCS provides another option - a dedicated NHS service offering healthcare and, where appropriate, forensic medical examinations, without the need to report to police first.

Raising awareness of such a sensitive service required more than a standard public information campaign. In consultation with policy, survivors and stakeholders, the marketing team understood that communications needed to acknowledge the uncertainty people experience, while offering reassurance that help was available on their terms.

The “Turn to SARCS” campaign launched in April 2022 with a clear message: there is somewhere to turn. The campaign takes a three-pillar approach to empower choice among those who may need it. This allowed people to recognise the new service, understand what it is and remember it should it be needed. This was delivered with digital films, social images, posters for out of home locations and leaflets.

Social media advertising helped to get the campaign video to people most likely to need the service. For an ‘out of home’ approach extensive fly postering was used, enabling the campaign to become part of the fabric of city streets. By also featuring in bar washrooms, retail changing rooms and on buses, it provided an opportunity for key messages to be not just seen but understood.

Stakeholders played a crucial role. It is essential to have the campaign in community locations coming from trusted messengers. Key partners included Police Scotland, NHS health boards, pharmacies, sexual health clinics, support organisations and student unions - allowing the main audience groups to be reached.

For survivors like Debbie, this approach made all the difference: “It helped knowing that SARCS was not just there for the medical exam side of things, but that they could also help coordinate follow-up care. It felt like an open-door facility. No question felt stupid and no feeling invalid.”

The number of people calling the NHS 24 self-referral phone service has increased each year. In 2022 to 2023, there were 578 calls. This rose to 683 calls in 2023 to 2024, and to 727 calls in 2024 to 2025. In 2024, almost 20% of all calls made to the NHS 24 phone service were made during the campaign period. SARCS has delivered real results, supporting more than 3,000 referrals.

As one SARC nurse coordinator reflected after the first campaign: “A survivor did share with me that this campaign was THE reason they chose to report at all.”

That is the power of giving people the knowledge - and the choice - to turn to SARCS.

Reflections provided by Amy Witherspoon, SARCS Marketing, Scottish Government