West Mercia PCC and NHS England have today, along with other partners, committed to developing a more holistic approach to ensuring victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse get the support they need in order to recover, heal and rebuild their lives.
In April 2018, NHS England produced a report that set out a multi-agency shared vision and focus for improvement, for those who have experienced sexual assault and abuse. It highlighted how services need to evolve as well as provide support to individuals during times of crisis and beyond.
To ensure the objectives are met, PCC John Campion, in-line with his ongoing commitments around victims and survivors, brought partners together from local agencies and government organisations, including health, care and justice to discuss how the core priorities set out in the national sexual assault and abuse services strategy can be delivered at a local level.
PCC John Campion said: “I am committed to seeing that this isn’t just another conference. Everyone who was in the room today made a commitment that together we will ensure victims and survivors of sexual crime are getting the level of support they need during their time of crisis, irrespective of how long that is. Access to the appropriate services needs to be over a lifetime, not just for the short or medium term.
“There is some really great work going on within the different organisations, but we need to make them more streamlined so that someone seeking support isn’t getting passed from one to the next and having to re-tell their story again and again. We cannot be letting people down when they’re at their most vulnerable.”
STRATEGIC DIRECTION FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ABUSE SERVICES
Lifelong care for victims and survivors: 2018 – 2023
Issued on: Monday 4th November 2019
