Sexual violence and assault against older people in NHS hospitals in England (2024)

Summary

The original research into sexual violence and assault against older people in NHS hospitals in England, was inspired by a lady called Valerie Kneale.

Valerie passed away in Blackpool Victoria Hospital in November 2018, initially thought to be due to a stroke. However, a post-mortem examination found Valerie had in fact died from internal haemorrhaging due to severe vaginal injuries. A member of staff from Blackpool Victoria Hospital was arrested on suspicion of raping Valerie but ultimately was not charged. However, this employee was charged with sexual assault against fellow staff and received a custodial sentence. Despite appeals on BBC Crimewatch and a £20,000 reward for information being offered by CrimeStoppers, no further charges have been made in relation to Mrs Kneale’s death.

Since publication of her first paper, the author has presented at several Safeguarding Boards, NHS Trusts, national conferences and university lectures about the issue of sexual violence against older people in the hope of reducing incidents and improving outcomes for victims.

The aim of this new paper is to present data for the financial years from 2021-22 to 2023-24 to ascertain if there has been any significant increase or decrease in the number of recorded incidents.