RAPE victims will be given medical care and counselling at a new specialist centre to be set up at the George Eliot Hospital.
Funding of £50,000 has been secured from Warwickshire County Council to contribute to the running of the new Sexual Assault Referral Centre for Coventry and Warwickshire at the Nuneaton NHS Trust.
The Nuneaton News first mooted the plans back in May of last year with the hospital one of a number of sites being considered.
A Sexual Assault Referral Centre, or SARC for short, is a facility where victims of rape, sexual abuse and serious sexual assault, regardless of age or gender, can receive care.
They will also have the opportunity to assist a police investigation, including undergoing forensic tests, if they so wish. It is hoped that the new facility, the first of its kind in the area, will be open later this year.
Welcoming the news, Helen King, deputy director of public health at NHSWarwickshire and chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire SARC Project Management Board, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding which will make a significant contribution to the running of this important new facility.
“Victims of sexual assault across Coventry and Warwickshire will be able to self-refer into the centre andWarwickshire Police will use the centre to support all victims of sexual assault in the county.”
Cllr Richard Hobbs, cabinet member for community safety at Warwickshire County Council, said: “We are very pleased to be able to help to fund this project. Along with our partners, we are carrying out critical work and this centre will enhance the support we can all give to the victims of these terrible crimes.”
DI Nigel Jones ofWarwickshire Police added: “Our aim is to encourage victims of serious sexual offences such as rape to come forward and seek help whether from the police, NHS or local support agencies.
“It is about developing a support network for those affected and we believe establishing a Sexual Assault Referral Centre for the people of Coventry and Warwickshire would help achieve this.”
He continued: “This is a large project that will take some time to deliver. In the meantime, agencies are working together on a joint Coventry and Warwickshire improvement plan focussing on sexual assault prevention, detection and victim support.
“By looking at the `big picture’ in this way across all agencies, we are working together to identify gaps in service provision and to rectify such issues.”
The partners involved in the project, which also include the Arden Cluster and the Crown Prosecution Service, are also looking at how they can improve health care, support, education and awareness about rape issues and the nature of rape and its causes as well as promoting excellence in the prevention detection, and prosecution of the crime in line with national best practice.
“Sexual assault can affect anyone, male or female, adult or child,” said a spokesperson for the Arden Cluster.
“If you have been sexually assaulted, there are agencies in Coventry and Warwickshire who want to help you. It does not matter if the assault occurred months or even years ago, please still come forward.”
Once open the centre will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its creation has come about following a report which identified a number of inadequacies in the current arrangements for victims such as in terms of medical and welfare support.
