About Us
Dignity4Patients is a support, advocacy and information organisation to support you. We work with people who have experienced sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual behaviour in a medical, healthcare, or therapeutic environment. Our intention is to treat you with the respect and dignity you deserve and should have received when accessing healthcare.
Our Mission
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Dignity4Patients is committed to upholding the dignity and rights of victims and survivors of sexual abuse in healthcare settings throughout Ireland.
Our Vision
A healthcare system in which sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual behaviour is met with a zero-tolerance response.
Our Aims
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To provide support, advocacy & information services to patients who have experienced the trauma of sexual abuse or other sexual boundary violations whilst a patient in any healthcare setting.
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Work on behalf of patients (who have been subject to abuse in a medical setting) and their families.
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Ensure that the patient’s autonomy and right to bodily integrity are preserved and that the dignity of each patient is valued.
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Educate professionals in the health care system and the general public about the impact of sexual abuse on patients and the breach of professional boundaries.
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Provide training and education in the prevention of sexual abuse of patients.
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Prevent abuse of patients, particularly sexual abuse.
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In summary, our aims are to provide support to patients who have suffered sexual abuse and/or sexual boundary violations and to educate the public and Health Service to prevent such incidents.
Our Values
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WELLBEING
At the heart of our work is the understanding that without well-being, nothing works. Without attention to individual needs, things are more likely to go wrong.
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RESPECT
For our service to be successful, respect is intrinsic to our approach to our work and is a touchstone of all our engagements with victims, funders and the public.
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INTEGRITY
We try to deliver what we say we will deliver, within the limits of our service, knowledge, and skills. But ultimately aim to be true to our word.
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AWARENESS
Without awareness no change is possible, using awareness, we seek positive change in the way complaints of sexual abuse of patients is handled in Ireland. With awareness all problems can be remedied.
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RESPONSIBILITY
Our approach is that of complete responsibility for our actions and behaviours. It is a central access point to accountability and change. Our work hopefully will encourage others act in the same manner.
Confidentiality
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Confidentiality and honesty form the basis of a trusting relationship. As a victim of sexual abuse or inappropriate sexual behaviour as a patient, we understand your relationship with your practitioner has been damaged and we aim to do no further harm. Patients have a right to expect that their personal information remains private and will do so with us.
Our Confidentiality Promise
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Experiencing sexual abuse or a violation of sexual boundaries while a patient is a sensitive matter. For some people it may cause anger, for others shame or a myriad of other emotions.
At Dignity4Patients, we understand that talking about your experience is sensitive and any contact with our organisation, whether by phone, in person or at one of our support meetings is in total confidence.
At no time will Dignity4Patients reveal sensitive or confidential information to a third party without your explicit consent unless we are under a court order to do so or compelled to do so by statutory obligations.
An example of our statutory obligations could be the Children’s First Act 2015, where disclosure of sexual abuse as a child or of a child, may be reported to the relevant authorities.