Published on: 19th February 2020
Spring Lodge, the county’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), has received the prestigious accreditation for Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) services. The accreditation demonstrates the commitment of the team to improving the quality of support available at Spring Lodge to the victims of sexual abuse.
Spring Lodge is a free NHS service run by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
It provides practical, caring and emotional support for victims of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse. It offers a range of services including crisis workers, self-referral for support and forensic medical examination. Service users can also receive out of hours advice by telephone.
The Independent Accreditation Programme looks for quality and consistency in service provision. It measures twenty standards across four themes: leadership and governance, access and engagement, service delivery and outcomes and evaluation. The programme is an externally audited process and to achieve the ‘Quality Mark’, the team had to submit evidence of meeting all quality standards. The process also included a site visit by the accreditation team.
Spring Lodge scored highly in all categories of the accreditation programme. Amanda Farquhar, SARC and ISVA Manager, paid credit to staff for their hard work that led to this excellent milestone.
“We have been working with victims of sexual assault for nearly 10 years and our clients always tell us what a difference Spring Lodge makes to their recovery. We are delighted to have been awarded the Independent Accreditation Programme ‘Quality Mark’ and to be recognised for the excellent ISVA services we provide. We are one of a handful of national services which have achieved this accreditation and it demonstrates the high quality of support available at Spring Lodge. We will not rest on our laurels and we will continue looking at how we can improve our services year-on-year.”
The centre is part funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and it is thanks to their additional support that Spring Lodge has been able to provide such great services to achieve the accreditation. Marc Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner, said:
“I am delighted Spring Lodge has been recognised with such a prestigious award. The facility provides vital assistance to victims and is an important part of the suite of services provided, with support and funding from my office, to help victims cope and recover from their experience. The accreditation process is detailed and thorough so to receive the Quality Mark is testament to the quality of practical, caring and emotional support provided by the staff.”
If anyone is struggling with issues surrounding sexual assault or abuse, they can learn more about Spring Lodge and the support they offer by going to www.lpft.nhs.uk/spring-lodge
