Updated 21 July 2025
We carried out this announced on-site assessment on 2 July 2025.
The paediatric sexual assault referral centre (SARC) at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne offers free medical, practical and emotional support to children aged under 16, and young people aged 16 and 17 with a learning disability, who have experienced sexual assault including rape. The centre is staffed by specialist clinical personnel and is available 24hours a day, 7 days a week.
The SARC is located in the children’s hospital and was operating in a temporary area at the time of our inspection while building works were being carried out to upgrade facilities to meet nationally recognised accreditation standards.
The SARC is managed by The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is commissioned by NHS England.
During the inspection we spoke with the clinical lead, a paediatric consultant, 2 nurses and the quality and assurance manager, as well as Trust senior leaders. 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 people received a good standard of care and treatment. There were effective systems in place to safeguard children from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and prescribing and administering of 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, although there was limited information available in a child friendly format.
Members of staff received regular supervision and appraisal of their working practices. We found there was effective leadership and governance checks ensured that any areas for improvement were identified and acted on.