The Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine will be holding their Sixth Annual SARC Best Practice Day on Saturday 15 September 2018 at the Holiday Inn, Regent’s Park, London.
The programme will be available to view soon.
If you have any questions please contact tessa.lewis@fflm.ac.uk.
The St Mary’s Centre‘s Masterclass in Paediatric Ano-Genital Conditions Study Day will take place on Thursday, July 5th at Chancellors Hotel and Conference Centre.
This popular training event provides delegates with an overview of the anogenital anatomy, examination techniques, possible differential diagnosis and management of anogenital signs and symptoms, in particular where sexual abuse or assault has not been disclosed by the child.
The day will also provide an overview and guidance on the subject of female genital mutilation.
The day would be suitable for all doctors and nurses who see prepubertal patients whether or not there has been a disclosure of sexual assault.
Click here to download the Masterclass in Paediatric conditions flyer
Click here to download the Masterclass in Ano-genital conditions programme
Click here to download the Masterclass in Ano-genital conditions booking form
Charlie Brooker | Health and Justice, Royal Holloway University of London, UK
Sheila Paul | Thames Valley Sexual Assault Service, UK
Coral Sirdifield | Community and Health Research Unit, University of Lincoln, UK
ABSTRACT: A national survey of Forensic Physicians (FPs) working in Sexual Assault Referral Centres was undertaken. The survey was advertised in the weekly bulletin sent out by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. Response was relatively low (n = 45). It is estimated that this figure represents about 12% of the workforce. The aim of the survey was to investigate FPs experience of accessing mental health pathways out of a SARC for complainants of all ages. The results concurred with a previous survey of SARC clinical managers with mental health services proving unresponsive. Informed co-commissioning between NHS England and Clinical Commissioning groups can only improve if aspects of complainant’s mental health are routinely assessed within SARCs using structured outcome measures. Structured outcomes should be integrated into NHS England’s Sexual Assault Referral Centres Indicators of Performance (SARCIP).
This strategic document outlines how services for victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse, in all settings of the health and care system, need to evolve between now and 2023. It sets out six core priorities that NHS England will focus on to reduce inequalities experienced.
The Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine‘s 12th Annual Conference will be at the Royal College of Physicians, London from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 May 2018. It will include a range of expert speakers, as well as the Annual General Meeting, David Jenkins Lecture and Gala Dinner.
Confirmed speakers include:
Please click here to view the programme.
The booking form and payment links are now available below:
Patient Focused! is a 3-day course accredited by the British Institute of Professional Photography. Students who pass the assessment on Day 3 will be eligible to apply for licentiate membership of British Institute of Professional Photography which awards the “LBIPP” post-nominal.
Each Patient Focused! course is conducted by experienced photographers and doctors. The course attracts 18 CPD points via the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine in London and are approximately 50% theory and 50% practical. Patient Focused! courses cover ethical and legal issues such as consent, confidentiality, data protection and GMC guidelines.
Patient Focused! provides all equipment. Using Nikon D3400 SLR cameras with the settings in “manual”. Make-up artists reproduce injuries such as erythema, bruises, scars and abrasions by using fake blood, skin wax and make-up: candidates practise on each other for this!
There is a maximum of 12 students per course with much of the practical work involving pairing-up to help with learning. If you require a bespoke training course at a specific venue and date, Patient Focused! will be happy to discuss this: please contact Patient Focused! at info@patientfocused.co.uk for further details.
Terms and conditions of course.
NB: Special offer of £450 per course from 1st March 2018.
ABSTRACT: Patients exhibiting challenging behaviour, which includes any non-verbal, verbal or physical behaviour, is a significant issue in healthcare settings. Preventing such behaviour and the harm it can cause is important for healthcare organisations and individuals, and involves following a public health model comprised of three tiers: primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention aims to reduce the risk of challenging behaviour occurring in the first instance; secondary prevention involves reducing the risk associated with imminent challenging behaviour and its potential escalation; and tertiary prevention focuses on minimising the physical and emotional harm caused by challenging behaviours, during and after an event. De-escalation should be the first-line response to challenging behaviour, and healthcare staff should use a range of techniques – maintaining safety, self-regulation, effective communication, and assessment and actions – to reduce the incidence of challenging behaviour. In some situations, physical interventions may be required to protect the safety of the individual, healthcare staff and other individuals involved, and healthcare staff should be aware of local policies and procedures for this. Following a serious incident, where there was potential or actual harm to patients and healthcare staff, healthcare organisations should use post-incident reviews to learn from the situation, while healthcare staff should be offered the opportunity for debriefing. Positive responses to challenging behaviour at an organisational and individual level can lead to improved work environments for healthcare staff and optimal care and outcomes.
A stimulating conference covering all aspects of Domestic Abuse is being hosted at The Moat House, Stoke on Trent.
Target audience is ……YOU!
1:3 women are affected by domestic abuse. 1:6 men are affected by domestic abuse. 1:5 children live in homes witnessing domestic abuse. Over 75% of the population know someone who suffers domestic abuse. Please come along, improve your knowledge & awareness, seek personal help & advice, find out how you can help to make a difference.
This is an excellent opportunity to hear the latest research findings on stalking and harassment in a presentation from Worcester University Dr Holly Taylor Dunn.
Hear from David Lean a survivor of child sexual abuse, both now passionate advocates raising awareness to stop all forms of child sexual abuse.
A chance to hear SafeLives discussing “Cry for Health” report. with clear indications of the role health has to play in dealing with all aspects of domestic abuse. @SafeLives
You can hear from colleagues in the police with a presentation from Sue Arnold-Deputy PCC for Staffordshire Police with the role the police have for the victims affected.
Karma nirvana will explain so-called “Honour Violence”, representing the voices murdered in the name of “honour”.
Dr Richard Fawcett of 208 Liverpool Field Hospital, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Royal Stoke Hospital and member of Midlands Air Ambulance HEMS will be presenting on FGM- “An emergency department response”.
A representative from the BRECK foundation will tell you the story of Breck, who became a victim of online grooming. Giving advice on online safety.
Frank Mullane @AAFDA will share how he represents voices of the lost lives in homicide reviews when lives are taken by domestic abuse.
Sarah Wydall & Rebecca Zerk of Aberystwyth University will be presenting research on Abuse in the Elderly-
including; help-seeking behaviours, service responses, coercive control and harmful behaviours in later life
Other speakers are still waiting to be confirmed but will include personal stories of survival, abuse affecting the elderly, abuse and its effects on housing, child sexual abuse and we will have political views & support.
Also available on the day, networking opportunities with Women’s Aid, SafeLives, ARCH, Savannah, and other organisations determined to make a difference.
This event will be high energy, with a unique presentation style.
The cost is only £13.75 (plus 20% admin) per ticket, which simply covers your lunch and refreshment costs. Conferences like this are rare and can be expensive. The message of domestic abuse is essential. All speakers are giving their time free of charge- THANK YOU! The venue is being provided free of charge THANK YOU IT support is being supplied free of charge THANK YOU
If you can, please bring a shoe box gift for those people fleeing domestic abuse.
A”Me2You” gift should be a shoe box filled with toiletries, toothbrush, shampoo, creams, shaving equipment, sponge, tampons, shower gel, socks etc. (Suitable for men/women/children).
All gifts will be distributed to local refuge centres who support those leaving domestic abuse.
I encourage you to include a brief note/letter reassuring the recipient :
I look forward to sharing this day with you all.
NHS England’s Director of Health & Justice, Armed Forces and Sexual Assault Services Commissioning, Kate Davies OBE, looks at what has happened in the year since the launch of the Rebalancing Act, and how NHS England has supported it:
Much has happened over the last year in terms of driving collaborative working to address the health inequalities faced by those within the criminal justice system.
So it is timely to reflect on these achievements from a health perspective and look at what else needs to be done to improve health and reduce offending for people in detained and secure settings.
As part of this, it is important to understand that whilst the relationship between health and social influences on offending and re-offending behaviour is complex, in some areas there is a clear link with health issues offering the prospect of reducing offending and re-offending rates through health related interventions.
This is evidenced by the distinct set of health needs faced by those in or at risk of being in secure and detained settings, whereby they experience a disproportionately higher burden of illness, poorer access to treatment and prevention programmes, and problems with substance misuse. Furthermore, health concerns are often complicated by social issues, such as homelessness, unemployment and poor levels of education; and there is a growing cohort of older prisoners whose health and social care needs are increasing.
From an NHS England perspective we have made significant progress on commissioning consistent standards of care across the secure environment – a must for delivering improvements and central to driving evidence based and outcome focused access to health services. In support of this, we have developed new specifications for mental health and substance misuse services in secure premises, as well as an improved screening process that is being rolled out across the system.
With regard to improving mental health service provision, we are revising secure hospital transfer guidance and are contributing to the review of the Mental Health Act, ensuring the mental health needs of those in detained settings are not overlooked. In addition, the National Liaison and Diversion programme continues its roll out and is on track for 100% coverage by 2020. As part of this, we are working with partner organisations to deliver a peer support model, an enhanced Crown Court service and a women’s care pathway.
To address the issue of a disproportionately high number of people within the secure setting having infectious diseases, work is also underway with partner organisations to eliminate Hepatitis C amongst this patient cohort and prepare for and manage pandemic outbreaks.
Mindful of the particular complexities facing children and young people within this environment, action is being taken to ensure that they are appropriately supported. The aim is that they leave custody healthier than on arrival and those gains made during a child’s time in a secure setting are not lost.
Building on this, significant investment has been made in mental health services, along with delivery of the Secure Stairs programme, which is an integrated care framework that addresses the health needs of this patient group. This is being delivered through joint localised health service provision and partnership work, with a focus on safeguarding and minimising deaths in custody and near misses.
From an older person’s perspective, we have adopted a joint approach to managing their healthcare and the Dying Well in Custody Charter is scheduled for publication this spring.
In respect of health services for women in prisons, development of improved health pathways is well underway and NHS England is working with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to support gender targeted best practice to drive improvements in the experience of women. HMPPS has also ensured that all women’s prisons work to the principles of delivering services across a trauma-informed environment.
In the spirit of the Rebalancing Act principles, NHS England has delivered regional prison health summits, bringing together governors, health commissioners and health providers for women’s prisons to support the sharing of best practice, provide a platform for consideration as to how regional resources could be used to improve health outcomes and develop innovations in services for women across relevant establishments.
As NHS England continues its work in this area, central to all developments is the voice of people with lived experience. Their involvement and views are vital in ensuring that we are delivering patient centred care and, in doing so, are held to account for the decisions we make. We will continue to work with them and key partners to deliver on the commitments of the Rebalancing Act, with future initiatives including the publication of a national partnership agreement to drive further progress in this area; development of more health service specifications; and the roll out of a health and justice information system across the secure and detained estate to improve connectivity.
Whilst many improvements have been made, there is still more to achieve, emphasising the importance of the Rebalancing Act in supporting stakeholders at local, regional and national levels to work together, learn by doing and ultimately be greater than the sum of our parts.
Kate Davies, OBE, is NHS England’s Director of Health & Justice, Armed Forces and Sexual Assault Services Commissioning.
As such she oversees three areas of direct commissioning services across England for healthcare for serving personnel and their families and veterans’ mental health and prosthetics; sexual assault referral centres (SARCs); health and justice healthcare services in prisons, secure children’s homes and training centres, immigration removal centres; and the development of the national liaison and diversion programme and street triage.
This national role is to assure quality, consistent and sustained services with a strong focus on health inequalities and outcomes for patients and their families.
Kate has developed and led the national partnership agreement between the Ministry of Defence for Armed Forces commissioning, Ministry of Justice for prisons and children and secure settings and the Home Office for immigration removal centres.
Previously, Kate was the Executive Lead for Prison, Detainee and SARCs Healthcare Commissioning for East Midlands and led the healthcare commissioning for prison and offender health.
From December 1995 to May 2009, Kate was the Strategic Director of the award winning Nottinghamshire County Drug and Alcohol Action Team, co-ordinating and delivering the government’s national drug strategy.
From 2003 to 2010, Kate was also seconded to the University of Central Lancashire, International School for Communities Rights and Inclusion as Director of Black and Ethnic Minority Community Engagement, focussing on the health and social care of diverse groups who experience discrimination and/or disadvantage and directing the national community engagement programme.
Kate has been a Non-Executive Director on the National Treatment Agency Board in England between 2000 and 2013. She was also a member of the government’s Independent Board for the Prison Drug Treatment Strategy Patel Review, which implemented the substance treatment service and strategy and delivery across England and acted as an Ambassador for Diversity in Public Appointments for the government Public Appointments Commission.
Kate worked in the probation service and was a qualified Probation Officer from 1986 to 1995, before joining the NHS. She was awarded an OBE in 2009, for services for ‘work with disadvantaged people’.
(Taken from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/addressing-health-inequalities-within-the-criminal-justice-system/)
ABSTRACT: A one year audit was undertaken of the mental health (MH) status of adult attendees to the Thames Valley Sexual Assault Centres (SARC). There were 301 relevant referrals over the twelve month period of whom 126 (42%) either fully or partially completed the mental health assessments. 38% (n = 66) of the population did not consent to the research. Participation in the study was felt inappropriate by the case clinician in the rest of the cases. To summarise the findings: 36% were moderately or severely depressed; 30% experienced moderate to severe anxiety; 28% were drinking at hazardous/harmful levels; and 12% had a drug problem that was moderate to severe. Self-harm affected 45% of the sample with the greater majority cutting themselves and self-harming before the age of 17. Admission to a psychiatric in-patient unit was not uncommon and 19% had been admitted an average of three times each. The figure of 19% admitted to a psychiatric hospital is 90 times higher than for the general female population. 42% of the total sample were being prescribed medication for their mental health problem. The paper concludes that: there should be agreement nationally on the use of a standardised set of mental health outcome measures which are used in all assessments; there should be a move towards the com- missioning of expert psychological support that is offered in a SARC and the pathways for specialist mental health care out of the SARCs. Finally, forensic physicians and general practitioners needs a greater awareness of the mental health sequalae of sexual assault and they then need to make prompt referrals to the appropriate services.