Kent and Medway - Beech House Sexual Assault Referral Centre, MAIDSTONE

Consultation has concluded

Background

The existing Kent and Medway SARC premises are located at Beech House, West Court South Park Business Village, West Ct, Maidstone ME15. The premises are currently leased by Mountain Healthcare, the current SARC provider.

www.beechhousesarc.org

Assessment of current premises

Recently a review of south east SARC services was undertaken in accordance with a standard framework agreed, by NHS England, Police and PCC partners, to ensure that current premises are:

  1. fit for purpose in terms of capacity
  2. what work / upgrades are required to meet new forensic standards and new UKAS accreditation

These new UKAS standards come into effect in October 2023. They include improvements to quality management systems, staff competency, forensic processes, and new accommodation and facilities standards to ensure the integrity of evidence. SARCs not accredited by this date could therefore jeopardise the integrity of the evidence collected if they are not to the appropriate quality standard.

The review concluded that Treetops was not suitable for future SARC needs and the cost of decanting and refitting the current premises was too prohibitive.

Alternative premises

The search for premises focused on Maidstone. Several alternative premises were identified as being potentially suitable, based on criteria that the new premises should be:

  • in the proximity of Kent police’s operational teams
  • within the travel time indicators for the main Thames Valley population centres, to ensure local health needs are met

As a result, the only suitable location is at 18 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, ME19 4AE.

These premises are 8.8 miles (14km) from the existing Beech House location and car travel time is typically 20 minutes, providing effective support for all main Kent population centres.

Background

The existing Kent and Medway SARC premises are located at Beech House, West Court South Park Business Village, West Ct, Maidstone ME15. The premises are currently leased by Mountain Healthcare, the current SARC provider.

www.beechhousesarc.org

Assessment of current premises

Recently a review of south east SARC services was undertaken in accordance with a standard framework agreed, by NHS England, Police and PCC partners, to ensure that current premises are:

  1. fit for purpose in terms of capacity
  2. what work / upgrades are required to meet new forensic standards and new UKAS accreditation

These new UKAS standards come into effect in October 2023. They include improvements to quality management systems, staff competency, forensic processes, and new accommodation and facilities standards to ensure the integrity of evidence. SARCs not accredited by this date could therefore jeopardise the integrity of the evidence collected if they are not to the appropriate quality standard.

The review concluded that Treetops was not suitable for future SARC needs and the cost of decanting and refitting the current premises was too prohibitive.

Alternative premises

The search for premises focused on Maidstone. Several alternative premises were identified as being potentially suitable, based on criteria that the new premises should be:

  • in the proximity of Kent police’s operational teams
  • within the travel time indicators for the main Thames Valley population centres, to ensure local health needs are met

As a result, the only suitable location is at 18 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, ME19 4AE.

These premises are 8.8 miles (14km) from the existing Beech House location and car travel time is typically 20 minutes, providing effective support for all main Kent population centres.