Two nurses working in NHS Highland’s Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service were invited to attend a reception at Buckingham Palace last week.
Laura Bain, a Clinical Nurse Manager, and Mhairi Macdonald, a Forensic Nurse Coordinator, attended the event hosted by the Queen to thank organisations and individuals for their work supporting survivors of rape and sexual abuse.
The event was also used to relaunch Her Majesty’s Wash Bags project, which distributes bags containing essential toiletries to Sexual Assault Response Coordination Services (SARCS) across the country.
SARCS supports people in the immediate aftermath of an incident, regardless of whether the person wishes to report the crime.
NHS Highland has two SARCS in our board area: The Shores in Inverness and The Northern Shores in Caithness. SARCS is an NHS Scotland service that offers support and healthcare after rape or sexual assault.