- NHS hospital
Queen's Medical Centre
Assessment report published 5 October 2026
Contents
Judgements
Our view of the service
We carried out this announced on-site assessment on 22 July 2026.
Coral Cove paediatric sexual assault referral centre (SARC) at the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham offers free medical, practical, and emotional support to children aged under 16, and young people aged 16 and 17, who have experienced sexual assault. The SARC operates on a regional basis and is open 24 hours a day 365 days a year. The SARC is staffed by specialist clinical personnel and is based within Queens Medical Centre hospital in Nottingham
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust manage the SARC, and it is commissioned by NHS England (NHSE). The SARC covers a very large geographical area across the East Midlands including Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Leicestershire.
As part of this inspection, we spoke with the SARC manager, clinical lead, specialist nurse, forensic nurse examiner 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 8 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 and young people 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.
Members of staff received regular supervision and appraisal of their working practices. We found there was effective leadership and governance checks which ensured that any areas for improvement were identified and acted on.