We carried out this announced inspection of this sexual assault referral centre (SARC) over two days on 22 and 23 January 2019. We conducted this inspection 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. Two CQC inspectors, supported by a specialist professional advisor, carried out this inspection.

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

• 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.

We found that this service was providing safe care and treatment in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Our key findings were:

• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies.
• Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The service had systems to help them manage risk.
• The staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The service was clean and well maintained.
• The staff had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• The service had thorough, safe staff recruitment procedures.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• There were processes for monitoring the standard and quality of care.
• Staff treated patients with dignity, respect and compassion and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The single point of access referral system met patients’ needs.
• The service had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The service asked staff and clients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The service dealt efficiently with positive, adverse and irregular events and learned lessons.
• The staff had suitable information governance arrangements.