September, 2021 - LimeCulture

Between 2018-2021, the Home Office – through their Transformation Fund – funded a 3 year pilot project in Lancashire to place Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) within a hospital setting with the intention of increasing access to ISVA service provision for victims/survivors of sexual violence and abuse.

The overall outcome of the pilot project was to improve integration between victim support services and healthcare pathways to ensure appropriate support for victims who disclose sexual violence, which they may have experienced either recently or in the past. The aims of the project were to:

1. Empower healthcare staff (in hospital and community settings) to respond to victims of sexual abuse (recent and non-recent),
2. Develop and raise awareness of referral pathways for staff and victims identified in healthcare settings including community, hospital and mental health services,
3. Ensure that victims disclosing to health services can access appropriate support to manage their risks and meet their needs by onward referral to a range of services including community ISVA support,
4. Ensure victims in contact with ISVA services are able to access appropriate healthcare support.

During the pilot, additional funding was secured from NHS England and Improvement to allow further ISVAs to be embedded within all the NHS Hospital Trusts across Lancashire. The pilot project also won the Nursing Times Award who announced Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as the 2020 winner of the Integrated Approach to Care category for the Health-ISVA service. This prestigious award was presented by HRH Price of Wales.

LimeCulture was commissioned to undertake an Independent Review of the 3-year Project, and our Report of Findings will be published at the Learning Event. The Learning Event is intended to share the findings from the review of the pilot project and provide an opportunity for ISVA service providers, commissioners and policy leads to see how the key recommendations can be used to implement the project into other areas.

LimeCulture will be hosting a free online Learning Event on Thursday 14 October 2021 at 2-3.30pm. This event will take place online using the Zoom platform. Speakers will include the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, the Home Office lead for the Transformation Fund, the lead Commissioner and the Manager of Blackpool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who hosts all of the Health-ISVAs. LimeCulture will also present our findings and provide the opportunity for questions and discussions.

If you would like to attend this Learning Event, please book your place using our online booking system.

For more information, please email info@limeculture.co.uk