HSE publishes Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) Annual Report for 2025

The HSE has publishes the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) Annual Report for 2025, which details key service activity over the year. In 2025, SATUs around the country provided care to 1,077 people, with four SATUs being significantly busier in 2025 than the previous year.

The SATUs are located in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Mullingar, Galway, and Letterkenny. The Rotunda SATU saw the biggest increase of 12.5% compared with the previous year. The Donegal SATU in Letterkenny also experienced an increase of 11.5% in 2025.

Similar to the previous year, attendees under 25 years of age accounted for 49% of cases.

87% of patients were seen within 3 hours of a request for urgent attendance.

Where recorded, 89% of attendees were female, 10% were male and 1% identified as another gender or none. This represents a 2% increase in male attendees in 2025.

Professor Maeve Eogan, Clinical Lead for SATU, HSE, said: “The increase in SATU attendances in 2025 highlights the importance of ongoing data collection to inform service and patient needs. It remains imperative that people can access responsive care in a timely fashion and that all aspects of society are aware of the prevalence and potential impacts of sexual violence, and the location and type of services available. Nobody ever ‘wants’ to attend a SATU and we never cease to be amazed by the strength that people display, despite the significance of the events they have experienced. The people we meet in SATU every day inspire us to remain ambitious for a brighter future.”

Dr Cliona Murphy, Clinical Director of the HSE’s National Woman and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP), said: “SATUs provide a vital, immediate point of care, offering medical treatment, forensic examination, and compassionate support in a safe and confidential environment. The SATU teams meet individuals at a moment of acute vulnerability, and the care the service provides helps to lay the foundations for recovery and, where chosen, engagement with the justice system. I would like to thank the dedicated SATU teams across the country, for their unwavering commitment to providing specialist, compassionate, and professional care, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to those who have experienced sexual violence.”

SATU care is provided by a multidisciplinary team including specially trained doctors and nurses/midwives, who collaborate closely with other relevant agencies and specialists including An Garda Siìochaìna, Rape Crisis Networks and Rape Crisis Centres and medical social work according to patient need. The SATU network is focussed on continually improving the care of those who need to use the service and acknowledge recent infrastructural developments at the Waterford SATU and a commitment to enhanced infrastructure at the Rotunda SATU.