New standards for Exeter sexual assault referral centre
Forensic pods
The NHS advises that the sooner a victim has a forensic medical examination the better, as there is more chance of collecting evidence. MS Howell said as well as gathering evidence, the centres in Exeter, alongside its partners in Truro and Plymouth, also provided therapy.She said the service was confidential and available to any adult or child who had experienced sexual harm, regardless of whether they reported the incident to police."We are independent of the police; we're a health service which can also offer forensic options," she said."For us, it's important to ensure people know that the forensic side is just a tiny part of the service. The biggest part is the therapeutic time we spend with them."The SARCs in Exeter, Truro and Plymouth are co-funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, NHS England and Devon and Cornwall Police.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez praised the the work carried out at the SARCs amid a rise in sexual violence in the region."In Devon and Cornwall, we have seen a concerning rise in recorded sexual offences over the years. Since 2010, the number of these crimes has more than tripled," she said."While some of this increase can be attributed to greater reporting and awareness, the true picture remains unknown due to fear and stigma when deciding whether to report sexual violence, an uncertainty over justice and support."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
AI to help slash NHS hospital discharge delays, officials say
Technology is being piloted to help free up NHS hospital beds which are occupied by people fit to be sent home, officials have announced. The platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help complete the documents needed to discharge patients, potentially saving hours of delays. The move will allow doctors to spend less time on paperwork and more time focused on care, cutting waiting times in the process, according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting. The technology, which is being piloted at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, extracts information from medical records, including diagnoses and test results. This helps medics to draft discharge summaries, which have to be completed before a person is sent home from hospital. The document is then reviewed by healthcare professionals responsible for the patient and used to send them home or refer them to other services. The tool will be hosted on the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), a shared software system aiming to make it easier for health and care organisations to work together and provide better services to patients The current manual system can sometimes leave patients waiting for hours to be discharged, as doctors may be too busy to fill in forms, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Mr Streeting said: 'This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we're shifting from analogue to digital as part of our 10-year health plan. 'We're using cutting-edge technology to build an NHS fit for the future and tackle the hospital backlogs that have left too many people waiting too long. 'Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, getting people home to their families faster and freeing up beds for those who need them most.' The AI tool for discharge summaries is one of a number of projects to be backed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. In January, he said AI will be used to 'turn around' the economy and public services. Elsewhere, the Government has announced that technology shown to halve the time probation officers spend organising notes will be given to all 12,000 probation officers later this year. The system helps to transcribe and take notes from meetings that officers have with offenders after they leave prison. Speaking on a visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: 'This is exactly the kind of change we need, AI being used to give doctors, probation officers and other key workers more time to focus on delivering better outcomes and speeding up vital services. 'This Government inherited a public sector decimated by years of underinvestment and is crying out for reform. 'These AI exemplars show the best ways in which we're using tech to build a smarter, more efficient state. 'When we get this right across government, we're talking about unlocking £45 billion in productivity gains, delivering our plan for change and investing in growth, not bureaucracy.'
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
AI platform piloted across the NHS in bid to free up hospital beds
A new artificial intelligence (AI) platform is being piloted across the NHS to free up hospital beds, officials have announced. The technology aims to accelerate patient discharges by automating the completion of necessary documents, potentially saving hours of delays. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the move would allow doctors to focus more on care and less on paperwork, thereby cutting waiting times. The technology, which is being piloted at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, extracts information from medical records, including diagnoses and test results. This helps medics to draft discharge summaries, which have to be completed before a person is sent home from hospital. The document is then reviewed by healthcare professionals responsible for the patient and used to send them home or refer them to other services. The tool will be hosted on the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), a shared software system aiming to make it easier for health and care organisations to work together and provide better services to patients The current manual system can sometimes leave patients waiting for hours to be discharged, as doctors may be too busy to fill in forms, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Mr Streeting said: 'This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we're shifting from analogue to digital as part of our 10-year health plan. 'We're using cutting-edge technology to build an NHS fit for the future and tackle the hospital backlogs that have left too many people waiting too long. 'Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, getting people home to their families faster and freeing up beds for those who need them most.' The AI tool for discharge summaries is one of a number of projects to be backed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. In January, he said AI will be used to 'turn around' the economy and public services. Elsewhere, the Government has announced that technology shown to halve the time probation officers spend organising notes will be given to all 12,000 probation officers later this year. The system helps to transcribe and take notes from meetings that officers have with offenders after they leave prison. Speaking on a visit to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: 'This is exactly the kind of change we need, AI being used to give doctors, probation officers and other key workers more time to focus on delivering better outcomes and speeding up vital services. 'This Government inherited a public sector decimated by years of underinvestment and is crying out for reform. 'These AI exemplars show the best ways in which we're using tech to build a smarter, more efficient state. 'When we get this right across government, we're talking about unlocking £45 billion in productivity gains, delivering our plan for change and investing in growth, not bureaucracy.'
The Guardian
10 minutes ago
- The Guardian
AI tool that speeds up patient discharges trialled by NHS
An artificial intelligence tool designed to speed up the discharge of patients is being trialled at a hospital trust in London. The platform completes documents needed to send fit patients home, potentially saving hours of delays and freeing up beds. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said the tech will enable doctors to spend less time on paperwork and more time focused on care, cutting waiting times in the process. The platform, which is being piloted at Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust, extracts information from medical records, including diagnoses and test results. This helps medics to draft discharge summaries, which have to be completed before a person is sent home from hospital. The document is then reviewed by healthcare professionals responsible for the patient and used to send them home or refer them to other services. The manual system can sometimes leave patients waiting for hours to be discharged, as doctors may be too busy to fill in forms, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said. Streeting said: 'This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we're shifting from analogue to digital as part of our 10-year health plan. 'We're using cutting-edge technology to build an NHS fit for the future and tackle the hospital backlogs that have left too many people waiting too long. 'Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, getting people home to their families faster and freeing up beds for those who need them most.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The tool will be hosted on the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), a software system aiming to make it easier for health and care organisations to work together and provide better services to patients. In January, Keir Starmer, the prime minister, said AI will be used to 'turn around' the economy and public services. Elsewhere, the government has announced that technology shown to halve the time probation officers spend organising notes will be launched later this year. The system helps to transcribe and take notes in meetings that probation officers have with offenders after they leave prison. AI is also being trialled across the NHS. The technology will analyse hospital databases and catch potential safety scandals early, providing an early warning system which could detect patterns or trends and trigger urgent inspections. The first NHS AI-run physiotherapy clinic halved the waiting list for back pain and musculoskeletal services. More than 2,500 patients living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were able to access Flok Health, a physiotherapy app, over a 12-week period starting in February. And the NHS in England is trialling a 'superhuman' AI tool that predicts a patient's risk of disease and dying early. Speaking on a visit to Chelsea and Westminster hospital, the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, said: 'This is exactly the kind of change we need, AI being used to give doctors, probation officers and other key workers more time to focus on delivering better outcomes and speeding up vital services. 'This government inherited a public sector decimated by years of underinvestment and is crying out for reform. 'These AI exemplars show the best ways in which we're using tech to build a smarter, more efficient state. 'When we get this right across government, we're talking about unlocking £45bn in productivity gains, delivering our plan for change and investing in growth, not bureaucracy.'
