120 people treated at specialist sexual assault unit last year
One hundred and twenty people were treated at the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) at Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar last year, according to the SATU Annual Report for 2021.
Of the 120 patients, 113 were female. The number of patients treated in 2021 was 19 more than the previous year.
The report also revealed that the average age of patients was 24; the youngest patient treated was 14 and the oldest 70. July was the busiest month in the unit last year and Sunday was the busiest day.
Almost 40 per cent of attendances to the SATU were within 24 hours of the reported incident. The majority (58pc) of cases at the SATU in Mullingar presented during daytime hours, while 78pc of attendances were reported to An Garda Síochána. Sixty seven per cent of patients attended for follow-up care.
Patients were referred to the SATU in Mullingar from 15 counties, which the hospital says "is reflective of the wide geographical area where SATU Mullingar provides care".
Outreach clinics for the SATU are provided in Portlaoise, Monaghan, Longford and Cavan, as well as at the Technological University of the Shannon’s campus in Athlone on a needs basis.
In its key message in the report, SATU Mullingar says that it has had "a concentrated focus on the provision of outreach services for those patients who may have for whatever reason difficulty in attending the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit".
"This successful initiative has led to increase patient satisfaction and greater attendance at follow up appointments."
Nationally, 859 patients were treated at the six SATUs across the country, an increase of 127 (17%) on 2020. The busiest day of the week nationally was Monday and October was the busiest month.
Of the 859 reported incidents, 69% occurred indoors with 22% being in the assailant’s home and 25% in the patient’s home.
Just over a third (34%) of the 903 perpetrators were described as a stranger or recent acquaintance, 169 (19%) as a friend or family member, while 101 (11%) were described as an intimate (or ex-intimate) partner.