Updated 20 April 2026
We carried out this announced on-site assessment on 22 April 2026.
The sexual assault referral centre (SARC) at Acer House offers free medical, practical, and emotional support to children, young people and adults who have experienced sexual assault including rape. The service uses clear age‑specific pathways so care is delivered by appropriately qualified clinicians and meets national guidance.
Young people aged 13 and over and adults can attend Acer House 7 days a week between 09.00 and 21.00 to be assessed by a sexual offence examiner. Outside of these hours, patients can be seen in West or South Yorkshire. However, if there are barriers to patients travelling, staff can travel to the patient in North Yorkshire. The child sexual abuse assessment service (CSAAS) provides a weekly doctor led clinic at Acer House every Tuesday for children aged 0–12 years. At other times, assessments are delivered through the CSAAS in West Yorkshire.
Acer House operates from a purpose-built facility in York, which is designed to meet the requirements for UKAS ISO accreditation for forensic services. At the time of this inspection, accreditation was still pending.
Mountain Healthcare Limited (MHC) manage the SARC, and it is jointly commissioned by NHS England (NHSE) and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. Although contracted separately, both the adult and CSAAS services are provided by MHC. The SARC covers a large geographical footprint, providing a service to 2 local authorities; City of York, and North Yorkshire.
Prior to this inspection we spoke with the NHSE commissioner and MHC’s regional contracts director for Yorkshire and Humberside, who is also the CQC registered manager for Acer House. We also spoke with MHC’s head of human resources. During the inspection we spoke with the SARC manager, the paediatric services lead, 1 nurse and a crisis worker. We checked the building and looked at the SARC’s policies and procedures, and other records about how the service was managed. We reviewed 6 patient records and a summary of feedback the SARC had received from patients and professionals.
We assessed 10 quality statements in total. We found the provider had met the regulations and evidence showed that patients received a good standard of care and treatment. There were effective systems in place to safeguard children, young people and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and prescribing and administering medicines.
Patients’ needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance. Staff understood the importance of gaining consent from patients and ensured this was kept under review during their time at the SARC.
Staff demonstrated a caring approach and maintained patients’ dignity during their examination. The service was responsive to patients’ different needs. The provider had developed a dedicated role to work proactively with the military in North Yorkshire.
Members of staff received regular supervision and appraisal of their working practices. We found there was effective leadership and processes for monitoring the standards and quality of care provided. Managers worked hard to promote the service with partner agencies.