Nurse sexual offence examiners support and examine survivors of sexual violence, providing trauma-informed care and gathering forensic evidence.

Following a trial backed by more than £700,000 of Scottish Government funding, the Lord Advocate approved the national rollout of the role in March.

The change means specialist nurses will now be able to undertake forensic medical examinations and give opinion evidence in court, subject to continuing review of progress.

Public health minister Maree Todd said the introduction of the nurses is a “significant milestone”.

“The hours after a sexual assault are some of the most difficult a survivor will face. Expanding this specialist nursing role means more survivors will be cared for by compassionate, highly trained professionals. It also means these specialist nurses will be able to give opinion evidence in court.

“This is a significant milestone for sexual assault response co-ordination services throughout Scotland, and I want to thank everyone involved for their dedication and work to make this possible.”

The expansion means island and rural areas, which have previously relied on private forensic doctor services to deliver such care, will now benefit from specialist nurses.

This change will also allow people to exercise their right to be examined by someone of their chosen sex.

Kirsty Arnaud, sexual assault response co-ordination service (SARCS) network patient advocate, said: “Disclosing sexual assault is one of the hardest things a person can do. It takes a considerable amount of courage and strength to attend a SARCS.

“Every survivor who has taken that step deserves timely, compassionate, and trauma-informed care. This includes being able to exercise their right to request the preferred sex of the examiner.

“The quality of care a survivor receives post-assault can determine their future mental and physical wellbeing. More survivors should have access to the passionate and dedicated nurses I have been so fortunate to have met during my time as the lived-experience representative for the SARCS network.

“The role of nurse SOEs will further enhance this access across SARCS in Scotland. This development reflects the ways the SARCS network is strengthening its commitment to delivering high-quality support to survivors across Scotland.”

Implementation of the national rollout will be incremental, as health boards integrate the nurses into their workforce.

Nurses will need to complete the required training through the postgraduate advanced forensic practice course at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, and ongoing forensic skills labs, both funded by the Scottish Government.

The move was welcomed by Rape Crisis Scotland.

Chief executive Alev Taylor said: “This is an incredibly important step in removing some of the most persistent barriers for survivors trying to access timely and trauma-informed medical examinations in the aftermath of a rape or sexual assault.

“The single biggest issue that women have raised with Rape Crisis services about this process is not having access to a female doctor.

“While they have previously been given the right to request one, this didn’t give them the right to have one. Many women are told that they can have a female doctor but only if they wait, so they are faced with the impossible choice of not being able to wash for days or going ahead with a male doctor.

“These changes have cleared, and are continuing to clear, a path to improving access to the number of female medical examiners across the country. We hope that we can finally get to a place where survivors across the country have access to support which feels right for them, especially in island and rural communities where it can be particularly lacking.”