Many victims and survivors of Sexual Abuse or Sexual Misconduct are confused about their treatment or examinations when accessing health care in any medical, therapeutic or psychiatric setting. Talking through your experience with our trained and qualified staff can alleviate some of the confusion and anxiety. Our aim is to help you address your concerns in a constructive manner and outline all support options available for you (e.g., information, support with engaging with Gardai, making a statement, reporting the abuse to the hospital or care home, reporting to the Medical Council, obtaining counselling services).

We are a victim-centred organisation, and our services are designed to help health care users understand what has happened to them. To provide a safe place to talk and access support and information. Our aim is to assist victims and survivors and their families on a path to dealing with the trauma of sexual abuse in health care settings and helping them to seek justice and enhance their empowerment in that process.

Dignity4Patients aims to provide Support, Advocacy & Information services to patients who have experienced the trauma of sexual abuse or other sexual misconduct when accessing healthcare provision in Ireland. We put you the victim first and will support you in dealing with the experience you had and supporting you in reporting it to the relevant authorities. Reporting the crime helps seek restorative justice for you and stops further harm to others.

At Dignity4Patients we understand that talking about your experience is sensitive and traumatising. As such any contact with our organisation, whether by phone, in person or at one of our support meetings is in total confidence. We are committed to protecting you and your information and data. No information about you will be shared with others without your explicit consent first.

Contact with Dignity4Patients as easy, you can contact our helpline service by Phone: 041 984 3730, Text to: 086-1654111, or Email us at: support@dignity4patients.org. This can be completed anonymously at first if you are feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Following the initial contact all victims and survivors are encouraged to attend an in-person appointment with our staff to discuss your options and complete any necessary paperwork. If you cannot come to us, we will try and arrange a way to meet with you.

Reporting an allegation of Sexual Abuse or Sexual Misconduct can be a daunting experience. To assist you, we can support you in reporting what has happened, or can report the incident to certain authorities on your behalf. Also if requested, we an accompany you to any reporting settings such as making a Garda Statement, attending a Complaints Hearing or supporting you as a witness in Court.

To find a therapist or counsellor experienced in working with survivors of sexual abuse, we recommend referring to our Patient Resource section where you can find our recommendations support services. HELPLINE: 041 – 9843730 SMS TEXT: 086 – 1654111 EMAIL: support@dignity4patients.org MONDAY to THURSDAY 10am - 4pm OUT OF HOURS 1800 778 888

If you have experienced sexual abuse by a doctor or healthcare professional, you have legal options to report the abuse. You can file a complaint with the appropriate licensing board, file a police report, seek legal advice or reach out to organisations like Dignity4Patients that provide support and guidance for survivors of healthcare-related abuse.

Supporting a friend or loved one who has experienced sexual abuse by a healthcare practitioner is crucial. Listen to them without judgment, encourage them to seek professional help from therapists or support organisations such as Dignity4Patients, respect their decisions regarding legal action, and provide emotional support throughout their healing process.

As a patient, you have rights regarding your care by a healthcare practitioner. These include the right to receive respectful and compassionate treatment, the right to informed consent and participation in your treatment decisions, the right to privacy and confidentiality, the right to access your medical records, and the right to report any concerns or file complaints about your care.

The Medical Council’s Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics encourages the use of Chaperones for intimate examinations. Ideally a chaperone should be a specially trained member of staff to ensure that the person being provided the care, as well as the practitioner, are comfortable, feel safe, have privacy, security and dignity during any examination or procedure. A chaperone should stand in a location where he/she can observe what is happening and act as a witness of the intimate examination. This is to ensure it is completed correctly and safely for both parties involved. See our Chaperone section for more information. https://www.medicalindependent.ie/comment/medico-legal/chaperones-a-timely-reminder/

Sexual misconduct by a medical professional can be something as simple as behaviour or remarks of a sexual nature towards the patient, to inappropriate touching, of a sexual nature. On a more serious level, it can involve inappropriate sexual relations, including sexual intimacy between a person accessing care and their caregiver, to requesting sexual favours in return for medical treatment or medicine.

Practitioner misconduct involves crossing the line (often called boundary violations) between being a professional caregiver and taking personal advantage of a person accessing health care provision, which in and of itself puts the patient or care receiver in a more vulnerable situation. Some examples of behaviour that can lead to practitioner misconduct are:-swapping personal contact details; giving gifts to the patient; keeping secrets with the patient; discussing personal private matters unrelated to a patient's care; switching assignments to care for a specific patient. While none of the above actions is wrong, they can lead to boundary violations and, eventually, sexual misconduct

Sexual Abuse by healthcare and medical practitioners is defined more broadly than Sexual Abuse under criminal law. Medical and healthcare practitioners are accountable for putting the needs of health service users first. Safe patient care is the only goal of the caregiver-practitioner relationship. Consent to sexual activities by anyone accessing health care services is immaterial. The obligation for safe health care provision is ultimately with the medical and healthcare professional.

Ensuring a culture of safety and vigilance in health care provision requires an environment where people have the confidence to report Sexual Abuse or sexual misconduct concerns, and trust that concerns will be addressed immediately by relevant managers. If you feel uncomfortable reporting to your management, you can report to us and we can help you file a complaint.

As part of its aim of protecting the public, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland is legally responsible for considering complaints against nurses and midwives. If you are nervous about making a complaint due to the repercussions of your colleagues, management team or the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland talk to us first. Alternatively, complaints can be made directly to https://www.nmbi.ie/Complaints/Making-a-Complaint