NHS England and NHS Improvement South West - Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across the South West

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) South West, in partnership with the South West Offices of the Police & Crime Commissioners and Police Forces are re-commissioning Sexual Offence Examiner (SOE) and Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) provision for both adults and paediatrics across the South West.

Through this recommissioning exercise, SARC and SOE provision are being integrated under one delivery model.

For the purposes of this procurement, the South West refers to the below areas and subsequently is divided into the following lots:

Providers may bid for one or more of the above lots.

The overarching aim of the re-commissioning exercise is to secure provider(s) of SARC services who can meet the specification requirements and has (have) the necessary capacity and capability to:

• Deliver high quality, safe and compassionate services focused on meeting the needs of victims/ survivors of sexual assault
• Respond positively to the recommendations of the Health Needs Assessment (2020)
• Deliver services which meet national clinical standards, legislation and guidance
• Deliver integrated SARC and SOE services in addition to onward referrals along the Sexual Assault and Abuse Services (SAAS) pathway
• Improve cross-border links between SARCs, both within the region and outside of the South West region. - Continuously improve and remain responsive to changing needs and fluctuating demand
• Ensure services are of a standard to meet UKAS/ Forensic Regulator accreditation requirements from October 2023

This procurement is taking the form of a two-stage process. The closing date 18th June is the submission date for Stage 1 Applications and thus the close date for expressing an interest in these services.

This procurement is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners