No Police Involved
People aged 16 years and older can book an appointment and attend our SARC without Police involvement (as a self-referral).
This option allows you to receive important healthcare and have evidence collected, without reporting to the Police.
If you wish to book an appointment and attend our SARC without Police involvement, please call us to speak to one of our specially trained nurses who can arrange an appointment for you on 0330 223 0099 (24/7/365).
Making an appointment for yourself
We provide a medical assessment, a forensic examination (for the purpose of DNA collection), support services and aftercare referrals for further treatment, support and guidance.
You will be offered these services based on your individual needs.
You will need an appointment before coming to the Solace Thames Valley SARC (Bicester and Slough).
To self-refer (book an appointment and attend our SARC without Police involvement), please call us on 0330 223 0099 (24/7/365).
Before attending an appointment
You may have been asked by The Solace Thames Valley SARC (Bicester and Slough) to not wash your body or drink hot liquids before an appointment. This is to help preserve forensic evidence. The comfort of our patients is most important so if this has happened don’t worry, you/they can still attend an appointment.
An appointment may last for 2 to 5 hours depending on the care and support needed so visitors may want to wear or bring some comfy clothes to change into.
During the appointment, you will be offered the opportunity to shower following the examination and can also change clothes.
Please try to arrive on time for your appointment. If you think you are going to be early or late, please contact us to let the staff know.
During an appointment
When you arrive at the centre you will meet our crisis worker and one of our nurses. Your crisis worker will stay with you throughout your time at the centre to help and guide you. Both the crisis worker and nurse will support you, answer any questions you may have and explain what happens during your appointment.
As part of the appointment, we will talk to you about your healthcare needs and when necessary, risk assessment for pregnancy and blood-borne viruses. You will have access to appropriate medication relevant to the sexual assault such as emergency contraception if needed.
Our team can also provide immediate sexual health advice and provide information about screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We do not complete STI screening at the SARC, but we can support and refer you to a service for this.
Forensic medical examinations
Depending on when the incident happened, you may be offered the option to have a forensic medical examination that includes checking for any physical injuries and collecting forensic samples. If an examination is something you are considering, it is best to contact us as soon as possible.
Medical examinations are conducted by our highly skilled and compassionate sexual offence examiners.
We offer to collect forensic samples even if you do not want to involve the Police at the time. This gives you the option to have forensic evidence if you choose to report the incident at a later date. In this instance, all samples will be stored at our SARC for 2 years.
During the examination, the nurse and crisis worker will regularly check in with you to make sure you are ok and want to continue. You are in control and can have a break or stop the examination at any point.
After the examination, you have the option of having a shower at the centre and we provide a care bag which has items such as shampoo and a toothbrush. We also provide clothing to change into if your clothing has been taken as evidence.
Aftercare
If you agree to additional referral support, it is likely that your nurse and support worker will refer you to other services that will be able to offer you additional support following your appointment with us.
These services might include (but are not limited to) mental health/counselling, sexual health, your GP, or the local Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) service.
You can contact us at any time following your appointment if you have any questions or need help and support.
With your permission, one of our nurses will contact you six weeks after your appointment to check in on you and make sure that you have been contacted by the referral services recommended for you.
Get in contact
with us
Make a SARC
appointment
Call our 24/7/365 telephone to make an appointment:
0330 223 0099
Professional
Referrals
All referrals from Police and professionals should be made by telephone:
0330 223 0099
Helpful
Resources
Visit our Resources page to find our leaflet and information on other helpful services.
