RAPE victims in the Shetland Islands will no longer have to travel to the mainland for forensic examinations.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said NHS bosses on Shetland had “risen to the challenge” and drawn up plans to provide “examination and compassionate medical healthcare” for victims of rape and sexual assault.

He made the announcement after Rape Crisis Scotland claimed the lack of such specialist facilities on Orkney and Shetland could be preventing some victims from coming forward.

Matheson branded rape and sex assaults as the “most horrendous of crimes” and stressed the importance of treating victims sensitively, saying it was “simply unacceptable” for them to have to fly to mainland Scotland for examinations.

Liam McArthur and Tavish Scott, the LibDem MSPs for Orkney and Shetland, raised the issue with the Scottish Government.

Matheson said ministers are “committed to making meaningful changes to rectify this situation”.

He added: “I am pleased that Shetland health board has announced plans for a local victim-centred service to provide forensic examination and compassionate medical health care on-island. This is a very encouraging development.”

McArthur said it is a “wholly unacceptable situation whereby victims of rape and sexual assault are required to get on a plane and travel south for examinations”.

Matheson said: “The expectation of women to have to leave the island to go to the mainland to have a forensic medical examination completed is simply unacceptable.

“NHS Shetland have risen to the challenge and clinicians there have committed to carrying out the necessary training to provide the necessary services within Shetland.

“We already have the service in place in the Western Isles and what we now need is the necessary clinical leadership within Orkney to make sure we have clinicians with the training to deliver the service.”

New national standards are being brought in for forensic examination services, and Matheson added: “We want to make sure that when a victim reports a rape they are given the best care, no matter where in the country they are.”

He made a statement to MSPs on the issue after a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) said there is “much more to be done” to ensure services are consistent across the country.

HMICS said there is an urgent need for work to end victims being examined in police premises and added that Scotland is “well behind” the rest of the UK when it comes to having facilities which meet both the needs of victims and the necessary forensic requirements.

Matheson said it is “completely unacceptable” that some victims still have to go to police buildings for an examination.

He also said that while the majority of victims would prefer to be examined by a female doctor, the “current gender balance of doctors with the necessary training does not offer that choice”.

There are currently only 19 female forensic physicians working in Scotland, but a national survey of 800 doctors earlier this year found more than half would “in principle” be interested in working in this area, with 17 doctors having requested information about how they can get involved.