The Care Quality Commission
  • Community
  • Community healthcare service

The Elms

Hinchingbrooke Park Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6NT (01480) 425003

Provided and run by:
Mountain Healthcare Limited

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

We carried out this announced on-site assessment on 12 of May 2026.

 

The Elms Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) offers medical, practical and emotional support to adults, young people and children who have experienced sexual assault including rape. The centre is staffed by forensically trained clinicians and crisis workers.

 

The SARC is managed by Mountain Healthcare Limited and is commissioned by 7 Force Commercial Services, alongside NHS England to provide clinical healthcare and forensic services. It opens 365 days a year and operates a 24 hour a day service. From 9pm to 9am, the site is used for the regionally commissioned nighttime clinic.

 

The premises have been specifically designed to meet all ISO 15189 Standards and Forensic Science Regulator requirements to ensure high quality evidence is obtained to support patients through the criminal justice system. At the time of the inspection, it was awaiting assessment and accreditation with UKAS.

 

During the inspection we spoke with the associate head of healthcare, the regional contracts manager, the registered manager, a crisis worker and a forensic nurse examiner. We checked the premises for access, fire safety and cleanliness. We reviewed the SARC’s policies and procedures, and other records about how the service is managed. Prior to our visit we met with a representative from the provider’s HR department to review staff recruitment information.

 

We assessed 10 quality statements in total under the safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led key questions.

 

We found the provider was meeting the relevant regulations. The service was supported by strong leadership, effectivegovernanceand a committed workforce. Patients received a good standard of care and treatment. Their needs were appropriately assessed, and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance. There was a structured programme of clinical audit in place to monitor and improve the quality and standard of care provided.

 

3 March 2021

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 3 March 2021 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a second CQC inspector.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Background

Mountain Healthcare Limited (MHL) are commissioned by NHS England (NHSE) and the Cambridgeshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to deliver Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services to children, young people and adults who have experienced non-recent or recent sexual abuse across the county of Cambridgeshire. The Elms SARC is situated within the grounds of Hinchingbrooke Hospital with discreet access to provide privacy for people entering and leaving. The SARC is accessible 24 hours a day seven days a week, is accessible for patients with limited mobility, and has parking available outside.

The SARC facilities include four forensic examination suites, two adult and two paediatric situated at different ends of the building. Each suite includes a pre-examination room and forensic examination room with accessible bathroom and shower facilities. Two separate aftercare rooms are adjacent to the suites. There is a separate toilet and accessible toilet, storage room, cleaning cupboard, kitchen area and staff office. The SARC is co-located with police colleagues who have an adjoining office, and there is a police live link room as well as three counselling rooms which can be used by external agencies, the police or SARC staff.

The team consists of a SARC manager, a forensic medical examiner, 10 forensic nurse examiners and 11 crisis workers. The SARC manager is in the process of applying to become a member of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM). The forensic medical examiner is a member of the Royal College for Paediatric Child Health (RCPCH).

The service is provided by Mountain Healthcare Limited and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager at The Elms was the service manager.

During the inspection we spoke with seven members of staff and reviewed eight patient records. We looked at policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed. Throughout this report we have used the term ‘patients’ to describe people who use the service to reflect our inspection of the clinical aspects of the SARC.

Our key findings were:

  • The provider had robust safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
  • Care records evidenced a holistic approach to assessing patient needs.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • There were excellent working relationships with co-located police colleagues.
  • There was effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff showed care and passion for their work and felt very well supported in their roles.
  • Patient feedback was positive about the support they received from the SARC and there had been no complaints.
  • Comprehensive information about local services, referral pathways and the operation of the SARC was readily available to staff.
  • The provider had good governance arrangements to support the delivery of services from the SARC.
  • The environment was clean, welcoming and included age appropriate rooms and equipment with local school artwork and visual distractions for children.
  • The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance and had adapted quickly to COVID-19 guidelines to ensure services remained available to patients throughout the pandemic.