NSW hospitals will now be equipped with dozens more sexual assault nurse examiners as numbers of sexual assault cases continue to rise in the state.
Ahead of the first NSW budget which will be handed down today, the state government has pledged almost $53m over four years to fund a total of 48 clinicians — 36 full-time equivalent sexual assault nurse examiners, five full-time equivalent sexual assault and domestic violence-trained medical officers and seven full-time equivalent paediatric child protection leads.
Services provided by these clinicians will include integrated psychosocial, medical and forensic crisis treatment for victims of sexual assault, domestic and family violence and child physical abuse and neglect.
The government hopes to equip every local health district with 24/7 crisis coverage for adult and child victims of sexual assault, and the resources to provide specialist medical and forensic response within two hours.
The creation of these positions comes as the state struggles with a shortage of trained medical professionals who have the capacity to manage sexual assault presentations.
Sexual assault presentations to NSW Health have been rising year by year. Between 2019-2020, it totalled 65,000 — more than 10,000 more cases than between 2016-17.
Sexual assault presentations to NSW Police surged by 36 per cent in the decade between 2011 to 2021.
Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said that the specialist nurses and clinicians will “provide crucial support and care to victims of sexual assault, making sure they’re cared for in a safe, respectful and trauma-informed way.”
“Boosting the number of these important specialists means we can offer 24/7 crisis support across all parts of NSW, providing care for these vulnerable patients when and where they need it,” she said.
The NSW health minister, Ryan Park, welcomed the decision, saying that the extra positions would provide victim-survivors across the state with the support they need.
“People who experience sexual assault need a safe, timely and holistic public health response provided by specially trained counsellors, doctors and nurses working together,” he said.
“These safe, integrated and free sexual assault services help manage the impact of trauma, support recovery, and promote long-term health and wellbeing.”
“These services also enable the collection of forensic evidence in a trauma-informed way with patient consent to support criminal investigations and prosecutions of perpetrators of sexual assault, reducing any delays and loss of evidence.”