NHS England (London) has today (25 November) pledged £30,000 to the Survivors Trust, to set up a reference group of survivors of sexual abuse who will play a lead role in shaping how health and care is delivered in the capital.

The Survivors Trust is a UK-wide national umbrella agency for 141 specialist organisations for support for the impact of rape, sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse throughout the UK and Ireland.

Dr Anne Rainsberry, Regional Director for NHS England (London), said: “London accounts for up to 20% of all reported rapes in England, and this is steadily increasing.  The encouraging news is that instead of sitting in silence, more survivors are coming forward and seeking counselling and care.

“We are committed to caring for survivors in the best possible way and we have the ambition to do better. We want to empower survivors to shape how care is delivered and ensure services truly meet their needs. By investing in this reference group, we can listen and learn from their experiences to continuously improve our services.”

Fay Maxted, Chief Executive of The Survivors Trust, said: “We welcome this investment and look forward to working more closely with NHS England as we continue to care and support those who have experienced sexual abuse.”

The funding was announced at the Surviving Sexual Abuse in London: What Survivors Say event, which brought together commissioners, service providers and charities with survivors of sexual abuse to listen and understand more about what services they want and how best to deliver them.

The conference was run in partnership with NHS England (London), Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime and the Havens, specialist centres in London for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted.