Lucy Love
Mountain Healthcare, UK
Title: Developing the nurse role in paediatric forensic examinations across the UK
Biography:
Lucy Love is an Associate Medical Director for Mountain Healthcare, a major provider of forensic medical services and SARCs (Sexual Assault Referral Centers) for complainants of sexual assault in the UK. She has been a Sexual Offences Examiner for 20 years, including the evaluation of child sexual abuse and regularly appears in court as an expert witness. She is a recognized trainer of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Pediatric Medical Examiners in the UK. She also works in the NHS as a Psychosexual Therapist.
Abstract:
The role of the nurse as a Pediatric Sexual Assault Examiner [SANE] has been established in the USA for many years. However, in the UK, this role has traditionally been carried out by doctors (Pediatricians and Forensic Medical Examiners -FMEs). Pediatrician’s are a limited resource, already overloaded with their general pediatric work and often unwilling to work in the highprofile arena of Child Sexual Abuse [CSA]. Forensic nurses are already used widely and successfully across the UK to examine adult complainants of rape. The training requirements to enable nurses to provide a reliable, high quality pediatric forensic service are discussed for areas of the UK, where pediatricians are unable or unwilling to perform the role.