Editorial Staff , 2025-06-19 15:13:00
The project integrates photography within the SATU to reduce stress, give control to patients following a traumatic event, reduce visit length and provide trauma-informed care
A pilot Irish Healthcare Award-winning project is set to go nationwide after it proved successful in reducing the stress of what is a traumatic experience for patients of the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) at Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital.
Since May last year the unit began implementing forensic photography into its practices by two core forensic nurse examiners.
The project integrates photography within the SATU to reduce stress, give control to patients following a traumatic event, reduce visit length and provide trauma-informed care.
It meant that patients didn’t have to have photos taken at a garda station, which would often involve them having to undress for a second time and potentially add to an already distressing experience.
Last year the initiative received the honour of Nursing and Midwifery Project of the Year at the Irish Healthcare Awards, and with the pilot project recently coming to a close, plans are in place to expand the service across the country’s six SATUs.
“The recognition of the awards validated what we were doing,” said Catherine Marsh, on-call forensic nurse examiner at the Rotunda SATU. “It definitely has given us a platform for this service and what is offered.”
The project has been supported by the HSE Spark Innovation Programme. Recently Ms Marsh, who is also a Spark Innovation Fellow, spoke at the HSE Spark Summit, which showcased new solutions to healthcare challenges developed by local teams across the country.
In attendance at the Summit was Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who has since made a visit to the SATU to learn more about the initiative and give it her support.
Ms Marsh now hopes that, over the next year, the forensic camera system and training of nurses will be set up across all units nationally, meaning that this service will be available to all patients who come into the doors of a SATU after a sexual assault.
