MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL HEALTH, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND ABUSE SURVIVORS IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

1.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire ("the PCC") has a wide remit to cut crime, improve community safety and support victims of crime in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

To achieve his aim of supporting and helping victims, the PCC commissions a range of generic and specialist victim support services.

Following recent co-commissioning of sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) and independent sexual violence adviser (ISVA) services, the PCC has been working closely with clinical commissioning groups, local authorities and NHS England/NHS Improvement - Midlands ("NHSE/NHSI") to develop a joint commissioning approach for specialist voluntary sector sexual violence counselling and other therapeutic support.

2.

A joint commissioning approach should be underpinned by a robust needs assessment.

Whilst needs assessments informed the commissioning of the sexual assault referral centres ("SARCs"), and further independent research informed the Independent Sexual Violence Adviser ("ISVA") commissioning, there is no existing needs assessment which includes the broad range of mental, physical and sexual health and social and economic needs of survivors in Nottinghamshire.

In particular, through discussion with survivors, local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and NHSE/NHSI, it has become clear that there is an urgent need to identify the wide ranging health needs of survivors and how they are best met.

3.

The PCC and NHSE/NHSI, with survivors' help, now wish to commission a sexual violence and abuse mental, physical and sexual health and social and economic needs assessment (hitherto referred to as a "needs assessment").

It will be used by commissioners and survivors to co-design new support services.