What happens when I arrive?
When you arrive at the SARC medical suite a crisis worker will meet you. They are specially trained to support and care for you from the moment you arrive. The crisis worker will introduce you to your nurse or doctor. they will ask you some questions and your answers will:
- Help them decide what examination needs to be done
- Identify what samples should be collected.
- Identify any medical needs they can help you with, such as giving you the morning after pill or referring you to a sexual health clinic
- Help them decide what support might be helpful to you afterwards.
If I had a medical assessment who would be there? Can I bring someone with me?
You can come alone or you can bring someone you trust and feel safe with. You will also have a crisis worker who can sit with you and support you whilst you have your medical assessment.
There will be a doctor or nurse, who will ask you questions and do a medical examination and collect any samples that are required. If you have reported to the police, there will also be a specially trained officer who will write down your account and record what evidence is collected.
How long does a medical assessment take?
A medical assessment will be made to suit you. This means that the time it takes can vary. We aim to complete it as soon as we can but we all also work at your pace. This means it may take several hours for us to complete everything. The examination does not hurt and you can have breaks or ask us to stop at any time.
You can find out more about what happens at a SARC by watching this video.